Slip of the Tongue
by lforlinstead
Summary: It's 2026. Little Zoey Halstead makes a new friend at school. It doesn't take her Daddy long to realize who's daughter it is. What happens when he comes face to face with the woman of his past? LINSTEAD with other characters. Rated T for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Somebody on Twitter gave me the idea for this, so I thought I'd give it a shot.**

 **Enjoy!**

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Jay Halstead had barely made it through the front door before four tiny limbs tangled around his legs.

He laughed, reaching down to pick up the four year old up, and toss her in the air. "Hey Zo-bo! Daddy missed you!"

He peppered kisses on her face, resulting in squeals and giggles from his daughter.

"Daddy, stop it that tickles! And your hairy face feels funny!"

Jay laughed. Zoey's giggle was his new favorite sound. He didn't realize he could love a little human so much.

"Okay, pumpkin I'll stop."

Zoey wrapped her tiny arms around Jay's neck.

They heard footsteps walking towards them, and Jay looked up just as his wife appeared in the hallway.

"Hey babe." He briefly kissed her lips.

"When you two are finished in here, dinner is on the table." She looked lovingly at her husband before making her way back into the kitchen.

"Are you hungry Zo-bo?"

"You bet I am Daddy!"

Zoey wriggled free from her father's grip, following her mother into the kitchen.

"Come on Daddy! Mommy made pasta!"

Jay laughed again. He dropped his bag from his shoulder and followed his impatient daughter into the kitchen.

He stopped at the fridge for a beer before making his way over to the dinner table.

Zoey was already there, kneeling on her chair armed with her knife and fork. She was so small for her age she could barely see over the table-top but she was so stubborn she refused to sit in her booster chair.

"You know," Jay eyed up his wife as she brought their dinner to the table. "She gets her stubbornness from you."

He raised his beer to his lips as his wife raised an eyebrow, but she laughed all the same.

"Oh, _please_ , you're the most stubborn man I know."

He winked at her, gazing into her eyes.

Jay Halstead knew he wasn't perfect but Hannah Halstead was close to it. Jay knew he'd got lucky. She always woke him with the morning coffee. She always had dinner on the table when he returned from work. She'd given him the best gift in the world: Zoey. He sometimes worshiped the ground she walked on.

"What's _stubbawn_ mean Daddy?" Zoey spoke up with a mouth full of pasta, spraying the sauce all over her parents.

"Nothing for you to worry about madam." Jay took a napkin and wiped his daughter's front. "What did Daddy tell you about talking with food in your mouth?"

Zoey's cheeks turned pink. She slurped up the last of her spaghetti and turned to face Jay. "I sorry Daddy." She blew him a sloppy kiss.

Jay smiled. She was such a charmer, he couldn't stay mad at her for long. "It's okay Zo-bo. Are you going to tell me about your day at school?"

Zoey picked up his juice cup and took a slurp. "No you first Daddy. You tell me about today. Did you catch all the bad guys?"

Mrs Halstead piped up. "Yeah, Jay, did you catch _all_ the bad guys?"

He looked at both his girls. "Oh you bet I did!"

"Yay Daddy! You're the best cop in the world aren't you?"

Jay lifted his daughter from her own chair, balancing her on his knee. He laughed. "I'm glad you think so!"

"I know you are Daddy. You fight down all the bad guys. When I'm growed up I want to be just like you!" She pointed at the police badge he still had around his neck.

Jay kissed the top of her head. She melted his heart, she really did. "Enough about Daddy's day, I want to know about Zoey's day!" He pointed at her then tickled her chin, causing her to fall in a fit of giggles.

Hannah looked at them both. "Jay, she's not going to be able to tell you if you don't stop tickling her!"

Jay stuck out his tongue at his wife, but obliged.

"Go on Zoey. Tell Daddy about your day."

Zoey climbed off her father's knee onto the edge of the table, her little legs dangling over the edge.

"Okay Daddy, I'll tell you about my day!" She pointed at herself, making sure her parents' attention was 100% on her.

"There was a new girl in my class! And Miss Kirsty picked me to be her friend!"

"She did? Good job, Zo-"

"Shh, Daddy I'm still talking!" Jay clamped his lips together. "Miss Kirsty says I have to look after her because she didn't know anybody. And now she is my new friend!"

"That's great Zoey! What's her name?"

"She's called Daisy and she's my best friend ever!"

Jay laughed at her. This was just like Zoey, she had a new best friend every week. Next she would be asking-

"Can Daisy come to our house for dinner?" Zoey clasped her tiny hands together, smiling at her parents- Jay in particular.

"We'll see pumpkin. You only met her today!"

Zoey frowned at him. "That doesn't matter, Daddy! She really is my best friend."

"Hey, turn that frown upside down Zo." He fought to change the subject. "Do you want mommy or daddy for bathtime?"

She crawled across the table. "Mommy." Hannah lifted her down from the table and she shot a look at Jay.

"You take her," he whispered "I'll clean up."

She nodded and led their daughter upstairs.

Jay downed the rest of his beer and took the dishes over to the sink.

He piled them into the dishwasher and flicked on the switch. He yawned. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out another beer then made his way into the lounge.

He flicked through the TV channels and sank into the couch.

Today had been a rough one but he didn't want to get into it with his wife. She'd only say that he was too dedicated to his job. That's the one thing Hanna couldn't understand- what being a police Detective was really about.

He couldn't be too harsh, she tried hard to sympathize when he'd had a hard day. She'd ask him if he was okay.

But there was a part of him that knew she would never get what he went through on the job. He had to keep parts of it a secret from her, which he knew he shouldn't be doing. _She was his wife after all_.

He twirled and fiddled with the silver band on his left hand. It had been there for five years, but it still felt weird.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tiny palm patting his knee.

Zoey was standing at his feet, smiling a toothy smile.

"Mommy did bathtime but I want you to do storytime."

She pouted when Jay didn't say anything. "Please Daddy? I pwomise to go to sleep straight after!"

Jay put down his beer and shut off the TV. He scooped her into his arms. "Come on then pumpkin!"

He carried her upstairs, making a right turn towards her bedroom.

She scrambled free, into her bed among all her teddy bears.

"Gosh, Zo-bo is there room for me in there?" He chuckled.

Zoey giggled. "Of course Daddy! There is lots and lots of room for Daddy!" She picked up an arm full of her toys and threw them on the floor. Jay would have been pissed if he hadn't thought the sentiment was sweet.

"What story would you like?" He asked her, making his way over to her custom made bookshelf. One he'd spent hours building and painting.

"Caterpillar, caterpillar!"

Jay groaned as he reached for it on the shelf. _The Very Hungry Caterpillar._ The same book they'd read for the past five nights.

"Really, Zo? Again?"

"Caterpillar! Caterpillar!"

He shook his head and laughed at her. "Okay, okay!"

"And you have to do the voices Daddy!"

Jay walked back over to her and lay next to her. He began to read the book, voices included.

It wasn't long before Zoey seemed to lose interest, and started a conversation with her father instead.

"Daddy, can we get a doggy? Daisy had a doggy can we get one?"

"Daisy again, huh? How do you know Daisy has a doggy?"

"Her mommy brought the doggy when it was home time. Daisy's mommy is real pretty, Daddy. Real pretty like my Mommy."

"I bet she's not as pretty as your Mommy."

"She's pretty Daddy! She had pretty dark yellow hair."

"I see. But your Mommy had pretty brown hair."

"Silly Daddy, I knows that. But Daisy's mommy had pretty green eyes. Like you." She pointed at his face.

"Why are you talking about Daisy's mom, Zo?"

"I think you would like her Daddy. She fights off the bad guys like you. Daisy says she was a police soffiser Daddy. You could get the naughty men together."

"I see, yeah maybe." He played along with her. He scratched his beard. "Do you know Daisy's mommy's name?" If Zoey was right, there was a chance he knew her: if she was a Detective.

"No Daddy. Do you want me to ask Daisy for you?"

"It's okay pumpkin." Her enthusiasm was cute, but Jay really wasn't that bothered about finding out about Daisy's mom. "You gotta go to sleep now, we've ran out of story-time."

Jay lifted himself from her bedside, tucking her in the blanket and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay Daddy, I lub you."

Jay tiptoed out of the room, shutting the door. "Goodnight, Zoey. Daddy loves you too."

He made his way over to the bathroom, turning on the shower. His muscles were sore and he needed a wash.

After his shower, he made his way into his own bedroom. His wife was already lying in bed watching the TV.

"Did she go down okay?"

"Mhm." Jay dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms. He silently got under the comforter.

"What's up?" she quizzed him.

"Our child asked so many questions." He said, turning to face her. "Tonight's topic: she wants a dog."

"She wants a dog?"

"She only wants a dog because this Daisy has got a dog."

"Oh, Daisy again?"

"Yup. She wouldn't even let me finish the story, she was talking about her so much."

"Relax, Jay, you know how four year olds are. She'll have a new best friend by next week. She'll have forgotten about any _dog._ "

"Yeah," he kissed her goodnight "You're right."

He turned over, realizing his busy day had gotten the better of him. It wasn't long before he feel into deep slumber.

 ** _Please review._ **


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, it was Friday. Jay's day off. Finally he could have a lie in-

As if on cue, a pair of tiny hands cupped either side of his face, waking him up from his slumber.

"Good morning Daddy!"

Jay opened his eyes to find Zoey's own staring straight at him. They were a mini model of his own.

"Morning sweetie" He yawned before sitting up and hugging his daughter. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did Daddy I dreamed of doggies!" She was so full of energy and enthusiasm that she practically bounced on her dad's torso.

Jay groaned, he'd thought the talk of dogs would stop. _Apparently not._

"Oh, you did? What happened in your dream, Zo?"

"You and Mommy got me a puppy and it made best friends with Daisy's puppy! They played together! And then we went for a picnic! You and me and mommy and our doggy and Daisy and Daisy's doggy and Daisy's mommy and Daisy's daddy well I think she has a daddy I haven't seen him before-"

"Woah, take a breath there Zo-bo!" He laughed at her, she was trying to reel off her story in one long breath.

"Okay" She took his words literally and sucked in the air around her.

"You're funny kiddo," he told her, scratching his beard.

"No you're funny Daddy!"

Jay scooped her off his stomach into a bear hug. "Say, Zo-bo how about Daddy takes you to school today? You can show me your new friend Daisy."

"Oh, I'd love that Daddy! I love it when you take me to school!" she squealed.

Jay stood up from the bed, scooping her into his arms.

"Zoey, come out of there! Daddy's sleeping-" Hannah Halstead appeared around the master bedroom door. She came to a stop when she saw the pair in an embrace. "Oh I'm sorry honey, I'm sorry if she woke you."

Jay kisses his wife's forehead. "Hey, it's okay. Besides, I'm gonna take Zo to school today."

He lowered his daughter to the floor. She immediately ran off to her room to dress herself. Her parents heard her chanting. " _Daddy's taking me to school! Daddy's taking me to school!"_

Hannah turned to her husband. "Are you sure? I can take her if you want to go back to bed?"

"No, I want to take her. I haven't had a morning off like this in a while. I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than taking my baby to school," he smiled.

Hannah returned his smile. "Well, if you're sure, I'll head off to work early. Get a good start on my paperwork." She turned towards the door. "I love you."

"Love you too." He waited until he heard the door slam closed. "You almost ready Zo?"

"Yes Daddy!" She met him in the upstairs hallway and Jay let out a chuckle.

It appeared she had tried her hardest to dress herself: the front of her dress was fastened wrong and she had her cardigan on inside-out. But it still impressed Jay.

"Come here you." He made his way over to her and fixed up her outfit. "There! So pretty baby."

Zoey frowned and folded her arms. "Silly Daddy I not a baby! I'm this big!" She raised her arms above her head, pointing towards the ceiling.

"Yes but you'll always be my baby," he said before lifting her up again and carrying her downstairs. "You put your shoes on and Daddy will get his jacket and your lunch bag."

"You got it!"

She ran off to find her shoes while Jay headed to the kitchen. He packed her sandwiches and then made his way to the hallway. "You ready to go Zo-bo?"

"Yes Daddy!" She reappeared in front of him, this time with her shoes and jacket on. "I'm ready."

Jay took a second to look at her: she was growing up too quickly, right before his eyes. He could still hardly believe she was already four. He still remembered the first time he'd seen her- the time he'd cut the cord, the time he'd held her when she came into the world. He'd fallen in love in an instant.

He felt her tiny hands tugging at his sleeve cuff. "What are you thinking about Daddy? We have to go or I'm going to be late!"

She brought him out of his daze. "Come on then, we better go!"

Jay ushered them both outside, locking the door behind them.

He buckled Zoey into the car before heading to the other side and sitting in the driving seat.

Jay turned on the radio quietly as he drove towards Zoey's school. Zoey had her attention focused on the world outside of the car. Her little legs swung in time to the beat of the radio.

They reached school in no time. Jay parked their car at the opposite side of the street.

Jay shut the car door, making his way over to Zoey's side.

"Come on then, Zo time for school."

She smiled a cheesy grin at him, extending her arms for Jay to lift her from the car seat.

Zoey grabbed her father's hand as they walked to the playground. Jay felt his grip automatically tighten when they entered the school ground: he forgot how busy the place got.

His daughter was distracted. "Daddy, look there's Daisy!" She pointed to the opposite side of the grounds, her eyes widening as she set eyes on her friend. Jay followed her finger to where she was pointing: Daisy looked a lot like Zoey did, from what Jay could see.

His arm almost came out of the socket by the way Zoey was dragging him towards Daisy. She may have been tiny, but she was mighty. She got that from him.

"Woah there Zo, slow down."

She was so focused on getting to her friend that his words were lost on her.

Zoey let go of his hand as they reached where Daisy was standing.

"Daisy!"

The young girl turned around. "Zoey! Hi!" She grabbed onto her new friend's hand. "Is that your Daddy?"

Zoey nodded. "Yes that's my Daddy!"

Jay's ears were burning and he made eye contact with his daughter. She spoke to him: "Daddy, this is Daisy!"

Jay lowered himself to Zoey and Daisy's level. He extended out an arm to Daisy, who shook it politely.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Daisy!" He rose back up to stand.

The two girls giggled and Zoey spoke first. "Daisy who did bring you to school today?"

"My Mommy! But she just left 'cause there's a man coming to paint the house! So I've been with Miss Kirsty!"

"Oh well now we can play together!"

Jay smiled as he watched the two girls talking. It didn't surprise him that they got along so well. They seemed so alike. _So alike._

He couldn't help but notice though that Daisy wasn't accompanied by a parent. He caught sight of Miss Kirsty and grabbed her attention.

"Hey, um, is Daisy okay? I don't see her mom or dad around."

Kirsty smiled. "She's been dropped early today. Her mom asked 'cause she's getting the house sorted. Seeing as they just moved back and everything-"

"Back?"

"Yup. Her mom is originally from here apparently. I think she's just getting back on her feet."

"Oh I gotcha. And her dad?"

Kirsty lowered her tone, looking over at Daisy. "I don't, I don't think she has one." Jay frowned at her. "Well _obviously_ she has one, but I've just never heard her mention him."

Jay nodded, not thinking anything of it. There were plenty of single moms in town.

He turned back towards his daughter. "Okay Zo, Daddy has to go! Have a great day!"

Zoey stopped mid conversation to run over to her father. That's what Jay loved about her: she was such a daddy's girl.

"Thank you Daddy! Will you be back to pick me up?"

"You betcha."

"I love you Daddy!"

"Love you, Zo-bo!" He turned around, exiting the school grounds.

Jay spent his day off doing pointless jobs around the house. He wasn't used to doing the housework, Hannah would usually say something if he put a foot wrong. But, it killed time until it was time to pick up Zoey.

He found himself finished just in time for school pick-up. He got in the car and drove to the school. He waited at the entrance for Zoey.

She soon emerged, looking a little messier than when he'd last seen her. Her pony was falling out and she had marker down her dress. He laughed. _Hannah could handle that one._

Zoey made her way over to her dad, a mischievous look on her face. "Daddy, can I stay at club so I can play with Daisy?"

Jay scratched his beard. "Not today, pumpkin. We have to get home to Mommy."

He looked at her, she hated not having her own way. It was her stubbornness showing again.

She scowled at him all the way home, even when he tried to make conversation.

"How was your day, Zo?"

"I'm not telling." She continued to stare out the window.

He hated her being mad at him. "Come on, Zo. I just said not today. Maybe you can go next week"

"I can?"

"We'll have to ask Mommy," he said, pulling into the driveway. He noticed his wife's car wasn't back yet, which was weird. She was normally back by now. "Hey Zo-bo did Mommy tell you where she was going?"

"Just to work Daddy."

Jay carried Zoey into the house, not thinking anything about his wife being late.

"What do you want for dinner?"

Zoey was silent for a second while she thought about his question. "Toaster pastry!"

"You can't have toaster pastry for dinner. How about mac n cheese?"

"That sounds yummy Daddy!"

Jay went to make dinner in the kitchen and Zoey went to watch TV in the lounge. He dropped a text to his wife. _Hey are you okay? Thought you'd be home by now. Do you want me to keep dinner?_

He heated up food for himself and Zoey, sipping a beer while at it. A text message came through on his phone.

 _Sorry babe I forgot to tell you. Just out with the moms from Zoey's school. Won't be too late. Love you. P.S Don't let our laughter stay up past her bedtime._

Jay smiled. He took the food in the lounge for Zoey and himself.

"Well looks like it's just us tonight Zo! Here's dinner! And you can't tell Mommy I let you eat it on the couch."

She grabbed the plate eagerly from Jay and giggled. "I promise daddy."

They finished their food and Jay took their dishes into the kitchen. He walked back to the lounge and snuggled Zoey into his chest on the couch.

"What do you want to watch, sweets?"

"I wanna watch Frozen!"

Jay rolled his eyes. "I should have known…."

 **0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

A loud bang woke Jay up. He must have fallen asleep, the Frozen title credits were rolling on repeat.

The loud banh hadn't woken Zoey, she was still sleeping on his chest, breathing softly.

He moved her gently onto the couch, making his way to investigate the banging.

He found his wife in the kitchen, looking through the cupboards. She was swaying ever so slightly.

"Hannah? What are you doing?"

She jumped when he spoke. "Shit! I..I'm hungry!" she was slurring.

She was trashed. She always got hungry when she was trashed.

Jay looked at his watch. It was 9:05pm. His wife was such a lightweight.

"Sit. I'll make you food." He ushered her to the table.

"Oh, you're soooo good to me."

He laughed. "So, good night huh?"

"Oh yeah." She slumped onto the table, her head resting in her hands.

Jay gave her a glass of water. "So, who was there?"

"The usual, you know. Ashley, Haley, Sam, Maggie. Oh, and that new girl Daisy's mom was there. Haley invited her."

Jay presented a sandwich in front of her, and sat down opposite his wife.

"I'm glad you had a good night. And the new member of the group, Daisy's mom, what's she like?"

"Oh, she's great! She gave me a ride home. I love her! And she's b-e-autiful. I invited her and her partner and Daisy to dinner."

Jay laughed, his wife was funny at making drunk plans. She probably wouldn't remember them in the morning.

He only wanted to ask her one more question before he put both of his girls to bed.

When he did see Daisy's mom, he wanted to put a face to a name.

And for that, he needed a name.

"What's her name?"

His wife looked confused. "Who?"

"Daisy's mom. What's her name?"

Hannah Halstead finished the last of her food before speaking.

"Erin. Her name is Erin."

 _ **Please Review.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Erin. Her name is Erin._

Hannah's last words whizzed around in Jay's brain. He stared at her, unable to form any words.

"Are you okay, babe? You look like you've seen a ghost." She reached across the table to grasp hold of his hand.

He gritted his teeth and forced a smile. "Never better. But I think we should go to bed." He pulled his hand away from hers.

"Ha, maybe you're right." Hannah swung herself out of the chair and struggled up the stairs.

Jay made his way to the lounge and gently bent to lift Zoey. She was snoring softly, the patterns of her little breaths creating soft soundwaves in the air. He placed her over his shoulder, her little body fitting perfectly into the crevices of his muscles.

He tightened his grip on her as he carried her upstairs. He turned towards Zoey's bedroom and lowered her onto the bed. Jay watched as she felt the change in her surroundings, her tiny body curling into a ball. He smiled as he wrapped her in the blanket.

Jay lay with her a while, balancing his muscular body on the smallest edge of her bed. She must have been dreaming, her little nose twitching now and then.

He stifled a laugh. She really was the cutest human.

He half contemplated waking her up, what his wife had said left him desiring to know more about Daisy's mom.

Jay bent slowly to kiss Zoey's head before walking back to his own bedroom.

"Where did you go?" Hannah turned around to face him as he walked through the door.

She watched as her husband undressed himself before climbing into bed beside her.

"I was putting our daughter to bed." He rested his head on the cushions.

Hannah edged closer to him, her hand resting against Jay's bare torso. Her fingers traced patterns on his six pack. "You know, you're the best Dad in the world." She pressed her face against his neck, her hot breath sticky on his skin.

 _If this was Hannah's version of drunk hitting on him, it wasn't going to work._

He grimaced, forcing himself to stay in control. "Han, stop." He placed his hand on top of her own, moving it back to her side of the bed.

"What's wrong Jay? Don't you want me?" she scowled.

Of course he wanted her, she was his wife. And she was great. But how could he have sex with his wife when all he could think about was Daisy's mom?

She'd been priority in his brain ever since Hannah's comment.

 _Erin._

It wasn't that big of a popular name.

 _Erin._

In fact he'd only, of course, known of one other individual with the name.

But it was almost impossible that it was her.

He turned his back on Hannah, intending to go to sleep. He heard her sigh and do the same, giving up on her advances.

His thoughts were in overdrive in his brain, when he thought about the events of his day.

Daisy, and her mom moving back to town.

Daisy's mom _conveniently_ not being at the school.

Daisy's dad not being _around._

And, if he remembered correctly, Zoey had said she fought bad guys. A _cop_.

Hannah had actually been with her tonight, too.

And, if his wife's drunk plans were anything to go by, he was about to come face to face with her. Tomorrow.

 **00000000000000000000000000**

Right before his alarm, a text pinged through on his phone. It was the boss.

 _Jay, no need to come to the district today. Case is dead. Keep in contact with your CI's._

He frowned: it wasn't like Hank. Even though they didn't have a case, he'd still usually be at the district. It was almost as though his boss didn't _want_ him there.

He threw down his phone, not wanting to think much about it. He tried to get back to sleep but it didn't work: once he was awake, he was awake.

Hannah was still sleeping, the blanket pulled over her face. He mentally prepared himself for her hangover, before tiptoeing out of the bedroom.

Zoey's room was still quiet but as he got nearer he heard a tiny voice.

"Hey pumpkin."

"Daddy!" She turned and smiled when she saw him. Her arms outstretched, signalling for him to move closer. He lifted her from her blankets and she cuddled into him.

"Did you sleep good, Zo-bo?"

"I did Daddy. Did you?"

"Not so good, but it's okay. Shall we go and make breakfast?"

"Pancakes! Pancakes!"

He laughed. "Okay pancakes it is!"

"What time do you have work today Daddy?" She held onto the rail-bar as they walked down the stairs.

"Daddy has the day off today." He followed behind her.

She reached the last step and jumped off. She turned to face him, clapping her hands. "Oh yay Daddy! You can have the day with me!"

He followed her into the kitchen, smiling.

"Do you want juice?"

"Yes please!"

He scooped her up and sat her on the counter. Jay filled up her juice cup and handed it to her, before making a start on breakfast.

"Thank you Daddy!"

The smell of breakfast cooking must have woken his wife. She appeared around the door frame, leaning against it. Her hair was a mess and she looked like she was going to throw up.

"Well good morning sunshine," he laughed at her.

"Good morning? Good morning? I feel like shi-"

"Hey, little ears!" He notioned towards their daughter, who waved from the counter top.

"Good morning Mommy!" It was almost as though she knew her mom was hungover, Zoey shouted so loud.

Hannah hung her head low and sat at the dinner table. Her husband and daughter both laughed at her. Her head moved to rest inn her hands.

"Oh dear, too much to drink last night?"

Hannah shot Jay a look, one that made him shut up. He turned back to his cooking.

"I feel like there's an elephant standing on my face."

Zoey giggled. "Silly Mommy. You don't have an elephant on your face!"

Jay laughed. "That's right, Zo. Mommy's silly."

"Oh you two, stop ganging up on me!"

Jay lifted Zoey from the counter and put breakfast on the table for them all.

"Eat." Jay pushed a plate in front of his wife. "You need to pull yourself together. I don't know if you remember but you made plans for dinner with a certain _somebody's_ mom last night."

Hanah groaned. "Oh, crap!"

Jay shot her a glance. "Language!"

She ignored him. "Oh, I forgot I invited Daisy and her parents over for dinner…"

Zoey looked up from her pancakes, her eyes wide. "You did, Mommy? You said Daisy can come to my house?"

Hannah forced a smile at her. "Yes, sweetie. So I hope your bedroom is nice and tidy."

Zoey let out a squeal then stuffed the rest of her breakfast into her mouth. Then she ran off in the direction of her bedroom.

Jay chuckled. "Taking that reaction, I'd say it need preparation."

Hannah nodded.

"You should get yourself sorted. I'll take Zoey and pick up something for dinner. What should I get?"

Hannah lifted her head from the table. "Um, pasta? We can't go wrong with pasta."

Jay picked up their plates and put them in the dish-washer. "Got it. Zo, put your clothes on! We're going to the store!"

Her little legs ran down the stairs. "I'm coming!"

Hannah followed them both to the door. "Hey," he said to Jay. "How come you aren't at work today?"

Jay shrugged. "Hank text me. Said I didn't need to go in. Weird, right?" He kissed the top of Hannah's head. "But I'll take all the family days I can get."

He grabbed hold of Zoey's hand and walked out of the door.

"Mommy looks funny today." Zoey said, as her dad lifted her into the car.

Jay laughed, Zoey had never seen her mom so hungover before. "She'll look pretty after her shower."

"I know Daddy. She'll look pretty when Daisy's mommy gets here."

"Mhmm." Erin had disappeared temporarily from his mind but now she was back. Center stage, dancing around in his brain. "And Daisy's daddy, too."

Zoey turned to him and shook her head. "No," she whispered it, it was like she was saying something that she shouldn't be saying. "No Daddy, Daisy said her Daddy isn't there."

"What do you mean?" They had arrived at the store, but he didn't want to cut the conversation short.

"Daisy said her Mommy told her that her Daddy had to go away for a little while. But she told her he would come back when he was ready. That's what Daisy said."

He smiled at her. "Well we will just have to make sure Daisy feels welcome in our house, won't we?"

"Yes Daddy." She patted her tiny hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad my Daddy didn't have to go away." Zoey went quiet for a second, before she spoke again. "Did he leave because Daisy did something bad Daddy?" She had a sad look on her face.

Jay froze, not knowing what to say. "Of course not, Zo-bo. Maybe Daisy's Daddy was scared or maybe he had somewhere to go for a little while, or maybe-"

He realized he was rambling. To a four year old. She was staring at him blankly.

He was sitting making excuses for a guy he didn't even know. He was just confusing his daughter even more.

"But," he continued. "I think he'll see Daisy again. When he's ready."

"When will he be ready, Daddy?"

He felt himself sweating. He was under pressure from a four year old. "I don't know, Zo. I don't know."

Zoey smiled at him. "I'm glad you're here Daddy. I'm happy you never left."

He kissed the top of her head and unbuckled her seat-belt for her. "Never. Now, let's go pick up dinner."

"Yummy. What are we having?"

"Pasta." He took hold of her hand.

Zoey rolled her eyes.

"Hey I saw that! You like pasta, Zo!"

"I know Daddy but are you cooking it?" She looked hopeful.

He nodded.

"Oh that's good. I don't like it when Mommy makes pasta. It tastes yucky."

He grinned. She was right though, Hannah wasn't the best cook. "Well you're in luck Zo-bo. It's Daddy's turn to cook. And you can play with Daisy, Mommy can talk to Daisy's Mommy."

"You mean Erin?"

"Yeah," he couldn't bring himself to say it. It was one thing to hear it, another thing to say it. It reminded him of so much. " _Erin._ "

"But what if you want to talk to Erin too, Daddy?"

"Well I can talk to her when we have dinner."

She seemed satisfied with his answer. "And what about for dessert, Daddy?"

Jay laughed: she'd inherited his sweet tooth. "What do you think we should have, Zo?"

"Ice cream!"

"Alright, let's get ice cream!"

Leaving the store, Zoey held onto her dad's hand tighter. It was almost as though telling the tale of Daisy's Daddy made her want to hang onto Jay and never let go.

 **000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Hannah smoothed down the front of her skirt, before clasping her hands together. "I'm nervous."

"You're nervous? How are you nervous? You were with her last night!"

"I _know_ that. But they're coming to our home!"

Jay walked over to his wife and wrapped her in his embrace. She looked a damn sight better than her state this morning. "Hey, you'll be great." He felt her relax beneath him. "I'm gonna go get ready."

He made his way towards the stairs, holding onto the railing for support. It was one thing telling his wife to relax, telling himself was a different story.

He'd managed to convince himself all day that it might not be her.

But, as the time neared, he was becoming anxious.

He made his way into the en-suite bathroom, his sweaty palms gripping either side of the basin.

 _What if it was her?_

 _What if,_ he tensed, _he was about to come face to face with Erin Lindsay?_

He splashed his face with cold water, in a bid to stop himself from sweating.

He couldn't hide it, he was nervous.

He stripped himself of his sweater, dressing in one of his shirts.

There was a knock at the door, and Jay's heartrate immediately sped up.

He heard his daughter's excitement as she ran to greet their guests. "They're here, they're here!"

He heard voices downstairs, but they were muffled so he couldn't distinguish her voice.

He tiptoed into the upstairs hallway, struggling to listen to the girls in the kitchen.

 _Oh come on_ he told himself _you're acting like a child._

Jay breathed out deeply, making his way downstairs, preparing to come face to face with his past.

 **Ya'll I LOVE the feedback I'm getting on this story! There just might be an Erin and Jay reunion next chapter, if Jay's suspicions are correct ;)**

 **Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

He tiptoed gingerly into the room. _How could he feel this nervous in his own home?_

The girls were all at the opposite side of the kitchen, with their backs to him.

They hadn't heard him come in.

He eyed each of their backs in turn. Hannah. Zoey. Daisy. _Erin._

He cleared his throat. Zoey turned first.

"Daddy, you're ready! Come and play!"

He focused his eyes on his daughter, feeling another set of eyes burning into his skull. He didn't look at them.

He squeezed himself between the two children.

"Hey Daisy," he patted her shoulder, taking probably the biggest intake of breath he ever had. "This must be your Mommy."

He finally brought himself to look at her.

She had aged, but she had aged _beautifully_. The lines around her eyes had grown, but they did nothing to hide the mesmorizing color that shone from inside them.

She'd changed her hair too. What used to be shorter blonde curls were now long brunette ones, shaping her face and going down the length of her back.

"Yes Mr Jay, this is my Mommy, Erin."

She didn't say anything, just let out a smile at Jay, the same time as his mouth dropped to the floor.

She had changed, but it was _her._

He didn't know how to react, but he didn't want to cause a scene. Especially not in front of his wife.

He offered out his hand to her. "Nice to meet you, _Erin._ " He still stumbled on the name.

As soon as their hands connected, he felt it. The spark. She pulled herself away quickly, he realized she'd felt it too.

She raised a hand to her face, pushing a curl behind her ear. He was still looking at her intently as she spoke.

"It's nice to meet you too, Jay." She raised a finger for a 'shh' sign, confirming Jay's feeling that now wasn't the right time for anything except pretending they didn't know each other. He noticed her voice was still husky as ever. "Daisy's told me all about you."

He felt his face turn pink but their greeting was interrupted.

Hannah spoke. "Shall we eat?"

The two children spoke in unison. "Yes please!"

They all sat at the table, Erin taking a seat opposite Jay.

Jay got up to serve dinner. He served his wife first, then moved to Erin. "How much, um, tell me when to stop?" He leaned over her shoulder, brushing it slightly so they made contact.

She stuck out her hand. "That's enough, thank you." She turned to smile at him, but he'd moved onto Daisy.

Daisy was sucking on her little finger, it made Jay laugh. "Hey Daisy, I used to do that when I was a kid. But you know my mom told me if I kept doing it, my finger would fall off!"

The girl's eyes went wide and her hand dropped from her mouth onto the table.

Erin laughed. "That's what I tell her." She looked at Jay and he looked back this time. "But she doesn't seem to listen."

 _Maybe she'll listen to you,_ she mouthed.

Jay put pasta on Daisy's plate then did the same for Zoey.

"Thank you Daddy!" Zoey clapped her little hands together. "My favorite!"

Jay laughed and put out his own dinner.

He sat back at his place and outstretched his legs. They came into contact with somebody else's.

 _Sorry!_ He mouthed across to her.

She didn't say anything but smiled at him. He looked at her face: it hadn't aged much and the dimples were still there.

He noticed she didn't make an effort to move her legs away.

"So Erin," Hannah broke the atmosphere. "If you don't mind me asking, Zoey mentioned you just moved back to town-"

Erin shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Yup," she clasped her hands together on the table top. "I- uh, family stuff."

Hannah took it as her hint to drop the topic.

Jay kinda wanted her to elaborate. It was maybe something to do with Daisy's father. Whatever it was, it was obvious Erin didn't want to talk about it.

She was looking down at her daughter, wiping away the pasta sauce she'd dribbled down her chin.

Jay had never imagined her as a mother but she seemed like a damn good one.

"Daddy, I'm finished!"

He turned to Zoey and couldn't help but laugh. "I can see that, Zo!" He grabbed a napkin and cleaned her up. "You've got half of it on your face!"

Zoey scrunched up her face.

"I'm finished too D- I mean I'm finished Mr Jay!" Daisy copied her friend.

Erin tensed up. But it was fine, she didn't think Jay (or Hannah) had noticed.

"Did you enjoy that Daisy?" Jay stood from the table, taking the children's plates away.

"It was yummy!" Daisy rubbed her stomach, showing how good it was.

Jay laughed. "Well I'm glad you liked it. Now how about ice cream?"

He regretted asking, the two girls erupted into a fit of squeals. "Yes please, yes please!" They jumped up and down.

The three adults laughed at them.

"Wow, Jay." Hannah stood and wrapped an arm around her husband. "You really want to give them more sugar?"

Erin was the last to get up from the table collecting the rest of the plates. "Oh I agree, Hannah. Maybe we should leave them for Jay to handle?"

Hannah wasn't looking so she winked at Jay.

He took the dishes from Erin's arms, his fingers flinching as they touched hers.

"Well I don't mind that!" He took the girls in one arm each with ease, sitting them on the kitchen counter.

"You're right, Erin. Let's leave them to it." Hannah motioned for her guest to go into the lounge.

Erin turned around on her way out, glancing at Jay once more.

"You look after my daughter. No corrupting her."

Jay grinned. It was damn hard pretending not to know her. Half of the things he could have said but held back.

"Who, me?" He had a look of pretend shock on his face. "Never."

He waited until the women went into the lounge.

"Okay, ice cream time. Don't tell your Mommies how much I gave you."

The two friends giggled behind their hands. "We promise!"

He handed them their bowls of ice cream then tidied more of the table.

As he put their stuff in the dish-washer, he looked over at the pair. It had been a matter of weeks and Zoey seemed smitten with her new best friend.

And Daisy? Daisy was the double of her mother. He was sure this was what Erin had looked like as a kid.

There was no denying she was Erin's daughter. Everything about them was the same.

Apart from. Jay realized, the eyes. Erin's had always been a deep shade of brown. Daisy had the cutest sea green irises.

She must have gotten them from her father, whoever he was.

"Daddy, Daddy more!"

Their giggles broke his thoughts. "Oh I don't think so monkey, no more sugar for you!"

Zoey and Daisy looked at each other and both turned to Jay, their eyes wide.

"Oh nope. Puppy dog eyes are _not_ going to work." He scooped both girls up and took them into the lounge.

He cussed at himself for mentioning the 'p' word, thankfully Zoey didn't seem to notice.

Hannah and Erin were both sitting on the couch, deep in conversation. They turned suddenly when they heard their daughters laughing.

Jay set them down and they ran to Zoey's toy-box to play.

"See," Jay pointed towards them. "I told you I could handle them, they're fine."

"Except when it comes to bedtime," Hannah laughed. "She'll never go to sleep."

Erin nodded in agreement. "Yup, Daisy will be the same."

"Oh well I _am_ sorry." He laughed. _They could handle bedtime._

He sat on the other couch, watching as the two women drifted back into conversation.

 _Great._ He wished he had masculine company.

He glanced back over to the other couch.

His eyes travelled down Erin's body, noticing her very naked ring finger. It made him frown as he played over scenarios in his mind. The fact he shouldn't have been looking at her like this only made him want to look more.

Just because Daisy's dad wasn't in the picture didn't mean Erin hadn't moved on.

He hoped she had, he needed her to be happy.

"Are you gonna stay for a drink?" Hannah stood from the couch, directing her question to Erin.

"I have the car," Erin started, a slight unease in her voice.

Hannah had already made her way into the kitchen, leaving Jay and Erin alone.

It was awkward at first. Neither of them spoke.

There was so much to say, and yet, neither of them could find the words. The only noise they heard was the conversation coming from their girls.

"You're really my best friend, Daisy!"

"You're mine too, Zoey!"

Erin looked over at her daughter then at Jay. Her eyes travelled around his face before they made eye contact. She looked nervous.

"I don't even know what to say to you." She began, fidgeting with her hands.

He smiled at her. "I know, the last time I saw you-"

She held up a hand. "I don't want to talk about the last time I saw you. Jay, I-"

Hannah re-entering the room cut short their conversation.

Jay exhaled, he wasn't going to have this conversation in front of his wife. She reached down to Erin, presenting her with a glass of wine. A _large_ glass of wine.

"Hey what about mine?" Hannah had come in with two drinks, she didn't have one for Jay.

"Oh, you're designated driver," Hannah laughed, taking a large sip of her drink. "You're gonna take Erin home later."

Jay thought about protesting, Hannah was rubbing the fact that she was drinking in his face.

He looked over at Erin, she mouthed a 'sorry' in his direction and he smiled. If he was honest with himself, he didn't really mind. He would see that she got home safe.

And, he'd be alone with her. For the first time in five years.

Zoey and Daisy came back over to the couches, their little faces grinning.

Zoey climbed up on her father's lap and Jay rolled his eyes. He knew that, when she wanted something, this is what she did.

"Daddy, can Daisy stay over at my house tonight?"

He looked over at his wife, not knowing what to answer. It was fine with Jay, but Hannah would probably say something different.

"Oh, I don't know sweetie. Daisy might want to go home with her Mommy."

Daisy shook her head, walking over to Erin. "Oh please can I stay Mommy, please?" She did the same thing Zoey did when she wanted something, pleading with her parent.

Erin looked at Hannah. "Well only if that's okay with Zoey's Mommy and Daddy-"

"It is." Jay cut into the conversation. He turned back to his daughter. "Yes, Zo. Daisy can stay."

Zoey threw her arms around him in excitement. "Oh thank you Daddy!"

He laughed, knowing he could never deny her anything.

"Come on, Daisy I'll show you my room!" They ran out.

Hannah groaned. "Then you're on bedtime duty, Jay. There's no way they are going to sleep after all that sugar."

Jay frowned. "Oh so I'm on cab duty, clean-up duty _and_ bedtime duty? While you just sit there drinking?"

He was surprised at his tone, he even saw Erin raise her eyebrows. Hannah didn't say anything.

Erin broke the tension between the couple, trying to stick up for Jay. "You know, Daisy will probably crash soon. She won't be up all night."

Her comment apparently didn't do anything to Hannah's mood.

Jay appreciated her effort. He didn't want it to be awkward. "I'll go and put the girls to bed." He walked out of the room leaving Erin with his wife.

"Hey monkeys, I think it's time for bed." He walked up the rest of the stairwell, fully prepared for a fight with two four year olds: they'd want to stay awake and play.

Or so he thought. He got to Zoey's door and pushed it open. The room was weirdly quiet. He walked into the room and smiled. The two girls were both in Zoey's bed. Daisy was fast asleep, Zoey was attempting to read from her book. Although she seemed to be making most of it up from her imagination.

"…and then the bad man was catched by the cops!" She noticed Jay as he made his way to her bed. "Oh, hi Daddy." She turned to her friend and realized she was sleeping. She put a finger to her lips. "Shh!"

Jay copied her. "Shh!"

"Can you tuck me in, Daddy?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Of course, Zo-bo." He bent down and kissed her forehead before pulling the blankets over them.

She looked at him. "Maybe you can tuck Daisy in too?"

Jay frowned. "Huh?"

"Just so she doesn't have bad dreams, Daddy."

He was proud of his kid, she was the sweetest. "Okay." He bent to kiss Daisy's head too. Her nose wrinkled in her sleep.

She had the same nose wrinkle as her Mom, Jay thought.

"Goodnight Zo," He made his way to exit her room.

"Goodnight Daddy, I love you!"

"Love you too, bug. See you in the morning."

He made his way down the stairs, back into the lounge. "So that was easy. They're both asleep-"

He'd expected to come back to both women, but instead there was only one.

"Your wife went to bed," Erin said. "I think she's pissed at you."

He rolled his eyes, causing her to laugh quietly. "Tell me something I don't know. Want me to drive you home?"

She stood from the couch, picking up her empty wine glass. "Are you sure? I can call a ca-"

"You are not calling a cab. I'll take you home." He chuckled. "I suppose you'll be back in the morning to pick up your car and relieve me of _your_ child."

Erin nodded and pursed her lips together, not saying anything. She knew he meant nothing by his tone. Because he didn't _know._

Jay hoped he hadn't offended her. "She's a cutie, Erin. You did good."

Her cheeks flushed with color. "Yeah? I'd like to think so. You did pretty good yourself, Jay."

 _You seem happy_ she added, under her breath.

"Well, thanks. I'm trying, ha. You also seem to be a pretty big hit with my wife."

He left the room temporarily, going to get Erin's coat. He held it in front of him as she slotted her arms in the sleeves. His hands lingered over her shoulders. As she spun to face him.

She looked different now the room was darker. The little light left in the room seemed to capture her features perfectly.

But Jay couldn't allow himself to think like that.

He caught his breath. "Let's go."

She nodded and followed him out of the room.

They drove in comfortable silence with the radio on low. She would occasionally give him directions.

"You can just drop me here-" she pointed to a corner.

"I'll take you to the door." He was confused as to why she wanted to be dropped somewhere random.

She went quiet. "Okay, but you're not allowed to say anything when you see the house. I just got back and it's a mess and-"

"Erin," he slowed the car so he could shift his attention to her. "You don't have to explain yourself. Come on, it's me. Why would you think I would say anything?"

She exhaled. "I just, I haven't found anybody I trust to do it up yet."

There was silence for a minute.

"I could do it for you." It slipped out, before he could stop it.

"What?" She looked shocked.

"I could do it for you."

"You couldn't do that, Jay. I don't have the money to pay you-"

"I don't need the money, Erin."

She looked at him. "You're just saying it. You don't really have to-"

"I want to." _God, he had to learn to control his tongue._

"Then I'll hold you to it."

They reached Erin's house, or shell of a house. He wasn't going to say anything but she was right. It was a wreck. There was a _lot_ of work to be done.

She reached for the door handle.

"Do you want to come in?" She shouldn't have asked that, and she knew it.

He sighed. He couldn't do that, could he?

 **Please Review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

"God, Er, it really is dusty in here!" He lifted a finger, swiping it along the railing of the stairs. It was dark, but even in the darkness he could feel her glaring at him.

"What did I tell you? You're not allowed-"

"Yeah I know," he chuckled. "I'm not allowed to say anything. At least tell me you got electricity?"

His eyes suddenly adjusted as he heard Erin flick on a switch.

"Hey, rude." She grinned at him. "Of course I have electricity. Let me show you around, you know, if you're going to be around here a lot, you may as well know where you're going."

Without hesitation, she reached for his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

He surprised himself by not pulling away.

"So," she motioned for him to follow her into the room, slowly pulling her hand away. She began pointing around the room. "I want to knock down this wall here and have a folding door here and maybe an island counter here and," She saw Jay staring. "What?"

He looked at her, raised his eyebrows. "You don't want much, do you?!"

Her face dropped. "I know it's a lot but I just want, you know, the perfect house for Daisy." She looked up at him and shrugged. "You probably didn't realize how much of a job it is." She began to turn away from him. "It's okay, Jay, I can find somebody else-"

"Hey," He reached out to her this time, his fingers wrapping firmly around her slender wrist. "I said I would do it. _I'm_ going to do this for you, Erin."

She smiled and there was a moment where neither of them spoke. She gulped, moving to walk out of the room.

"Let me show you the rest of the house."

He followed her again, up the stairs. They creaked underneath his feet.

He opened his mouth to make a comment but she silenced him.

"Don't even dare."

His mouth opened and closed a few times before he sealed his lips.

"This," she opened the first door on the left. "is my room." She reached for the light switch so they were no longer in darkness.

"It's… nice." He took a second to look around the room. The bedroom was big, bigger than his own but it felt bare. It felt cold.

"Less of the sarcasm, Jay. I know there is a lot to be done."

He walked over to the bay window, looking out into the cold Chicago night.

"Nice view," he said as he turned back to face her.

She was standing a foot in front of him, facing his way. He noticed the illumination from the stars outside were shining on her body.

"Yup, it's beautiful right?"

"It sure is." He chewed on his bottom lip, dropping his eyes to the floor. "What did you want to do with this room?"

She seemed to think about his question for a few moments. "Well," she pulled him to the side of the room. "I want my bed here," she pointed to the middle section of the room.

"In the middle of the room?"

"Well, why not?"

"Wouldn't it look better, um, here?" He took hold of her hand, pointing it through the air at the other side of the room. "If you put the head of the bed here, you'll still be able to see the stars."

Erin felt herself shiver. She folded her arms across her chest to hide it. "You're right," she whispered.

"And what did you want to do with Daisy's room?" He'd noticed her go quiet.

"Oh, I'll show you."

They left Erin's bedroom and Jay followed her across the upstairs hallway to another door.

"Jay, I don't know how much of a mess she's left her room in so please don't even say anything," She laughed as she opened the door.

"You are aware I have a four year old myself, you know" He laughed. "I know what they can get up to!"

Erin nodded, stepping into the room. "So this is the room I've worked most on so far, it's not much but-"

"It's awesome." Jay looked around the walls, decorated with stickers of everything from dogs to cop cars to princesses. He laughed. "She likes a mix of things, huh?"

She smiled as images of her daughter ran through her brain. "That she does," She ran fingers across one side of the wall. "I just need her to have a home where she feels loved, she feels protected." Erin's voice was shaking, perhaps _Jay thought_ she was having to convince herself to believe what she was saying.

Jay saw she was tense. For the first time that night, he walked over to her. No longer stopping himself from what he'd wanted to do all night. His arms reached easily around her frame and hugged her tight.

"We'll make sure she has that," he said into her hair. "I promise."

She didn't respond with words but Jay felt her relax beneath his grip. And he also noticed when a pair of hands crept up the lower crevices of his back.

Jay knew she wasn't crying, but knew she was emotional. Maybe building up this house meant more to Erin than she was letting on.

He felt her head nodding, agreement with his words, and his left hand travelled subconsciously to her head.

"So I think that's the tour over. I'll- OWW!"

"Oh crap, hold still! My hand- your hair-"

"It's-" She tried to wriggle free from the tangle. "What is it?"

Jay pulled his hand down and stared.

It was his ring. _His wedding ring._

The one he'd received from his wife.

Erin realized what he was staring at. Her eyes went wide, and she struggled to find the right thing to say.

"Are there any more rooms you want me to see?" He was looking at the floor, twirling around the band of silver that had made things slightly awkward.

"Um, no I think that's it." She headed for the door.

Jay exited Daisy's room after her. Before he reached the top of the stairs, he paused temporarily outside another door.

His hand reached for the door handle. "Hey you didn't tell me what was in this-"

Erin's hand was on top of his own within seconds, before he finished his sentence. "No," She pulled his hand away. "Not this room."

"Erin?"

"I swear, Jay, don't go in there. I- I'm allowed to have some things private."

He shrugged, not wanting to cause any arguments.

She hadn't noticed her palms were sweating as she made her way down the stairs behind him.

He reached the bottom step before he spoke. "I should go," He walked towards the door. "I'll see you in the morning?"

She nodded gently. "Yes, I'll get a cab over to pick up Daisy. And my car."

He'd noticed the glow on her face seemed to have disappeared, so made for a quick getaway.

Erin watched as he gave a small wave then pulled out of the driveway. She stayed watching even after he was completely out of sight. It was only then she allowed herself to breathe again, knowing full well that if he'd made it into that room, everything she had been keeping from him in the last five years would all come crashing down in an instant.

 **0000000000000000000000**

"Where did you go?" Hannah asked as he got into bed beside her.

He frowned. "I was on cab duty, remember. I was doing my job, taking Erin home."

"Yes but you've been gone an hour. I only thought she lived ten minutes from us."

Jay sighed, knowing he was going to have to fabricate the truth. He couldn't tell his wife the truth, he wasn't ready. "She does, Han. But I had to make sure she got in okay." He laughed. "You got her drunk, you know."

Hannah scoffed. "Drunk? She was _not_ drunk, Jay. But I appreciate you being so caring for my friends."

"You guys are friends now?"

"Jay, she's sweet. I like her. Don't you?"

He bit his lip. _Yeah I was in love with her before I met you._ "Me? Huh, yeah she seems nice-"

"Mommy?" Their conversation was interrupted and a little voice spoke up. One they weren't as familiar with. "Mommy?"

Jay turned to face the door. "Daisy? What are you doing awake?" He pulled back the covers and pulled on a T-shirt. He walked over to the little girl and crouched beside her.

She was teary eyed. "I want my Mommy," she said, in the tiniest voice that Jay struggled to hear. Her bottom lip was pouting and her little finger was back in her mouth, like she'd done at the dinner table.

"Oh, Daisy." He moved to lift her up, unsure of how she would react. It always worked to comfort his own daughter, but with Daisy it might have been different. He was still kind of a stranger.

But Daisy cuddles straight into him, her tiny legs wrapping around his torso as far as they could go. Her arms flew around his neck, so tight at first Jay struggled to breathe.

He turned to face his wife. "I got this," he smiled. "Go to sleep."

He made his way downstairs with Daisy in his arms.

"What's up with you, little lady? Did you have a nightmare?"

She didn't say anything, just nodded.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She shook her head violently, still clinging onto Jay.

He sat at the table with the little girl in his lap.

"What does Mommy do when you have a nightmare?"

Daisy popped her finger out of her mouth and looked at him. "Mommy makes me chocolate milk and, and I go in her bed and she tells me stories."

Jay looked at her, it was scarily like what Hannah and himself did for Zoey.

He nodded. "I see," He felt her loosen her grip but she still stayed close. "Well I think you're in luck Daisy I think we've got the chocolate milk."

He placed her on the counter edge and reached in the refrigerator. "Here you go. Did you want to go back to sleep?"

"But what if the bad guys get me, Mr Jay?"

He sighed. "They won't, I promise. How about we go into the lounge and I'll tell you a story?"

She nodded, waiting for Jay to pick her up off the counter.

He laughed softly and carried her into the lounge.

"What does Mommy tell you stories about, Daisy?"

She thought for a second. "Oh, lots. I like the ones about princesses."

He groaned, Zoey liked those too. But he preferred stories he could actually read.

He was going to have to think on the spot, his mind in overdrive as he tried to create a story.

Daisy was laying down on the couch, Jay was seated at her feet. She shivered slightly and moved close to him again.

She spoke to him quietly. "I wish my Daddy was like you, Mr Jay." She moved herself so her head was resting in his lap.

He didn't know what to say. "Oh I bet he is. I bet he's out there looking for you right now."

His hand moved to gently stroke her hair, the soft strands falling over his knee.

"Mommy said he'll come when he's ready…"

"See? I think you'll see him soon."

She turned her head to look up at him, the glistening innocence in her eyes wounding him. "But Mommy doesn't like to talk about him a lot. I think it makes her sad."

He didn't have a response, so just hummed a tune and continued to calm her.

There was quiet for a few minutes before Jay heard the softest little snores erupting from her body.

He moved them both gently, carrying her up the stairs. Back to bed with Zoey.

Then made his way to his own bedroom.

"Everything okay?" Hannah was still awake.

He planted his lips on the side of her face. "Everything's fine." He lay flat on is back, knowing everything wasn't fine. Knowing he probably wouldn't sleep any time soon. "Go to sleep, Han."

He heard her mumble "love you" before she turned her back on him, leaving him to his thoughts.

 **0000000000000000000000000000**

He woke up to any empty bed, but he could hear voices. They were coming from downstairs.

He was greeted by them all when he got there.

"Morning Daddy!"

"Good morning, babe."

"Morning Mr Jay!"

"Hey, good morning." The fourth one came from behind. He hadn't even realized she was back so soon.

"Oh hey Erin," he moved to the counter to make coffee.

The scene was a bit surreal to him, he was struggling to cope with the fact that last night had happened.

He noticed his wife staring at him, so moved to accompany her at the breakfast bar.

She was his wife, yes. But he had little intention of telling Hannah what he had promised last night.

What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

And the less she knew about his and Erin's arrangement, the better.

 _So hey guys! Thanks for keeping up with this story! Is there anything you want to see in particular in any of the chapters? Let me know! On here or yall can hmu on Twitter! My handle is in my bio._

 _Anyway, please review! :)_


	6. Chapter 6

"So I'm gonna call to my moms," Hannah said aloud, but directed to her husband. "Do you have anything planned for today?"

He gulped audibly, knowing he wasn't going to do anything except fabricate the truth. He stole the slightest glance at Erin, who was pretending not to listen. But he knew she was.

"Oh I don't think so. I could take Zoey to the park or something?" He looked at his daughter, who's eyes glistened when she heard him.

"Oh yay Daddy, can we?!"

Both of her parents laughed. "That's settled then," Hannah went to leave the room, waving goodbye to her husband and daughter. She kissed Jay's cheek then turned to Erin and Daisy. "I'll see you guys soon!"

Daisy waved and Erin walked over to Hannah. "Thank you so much for having Daisy," she smiled, looking as the married couple broke apart from their embrace. It of course made her feel uncomfortable but she wasn't going to let it show on her face. She watched as Hannah left the room. "Let's get going, Dais."

Zoey pulled a scowl and tugged at her father's leg. "Daddy, can Daisy come too?"

By now, Erin and Jay were the only two adults left in the room. Jay heard the door at the front of his house slam shut. _Great_ he thought, _she's left me to get out of this one on my own_.

He focused his attention back on Erin. She looked more casual today and he watched (when he probably shouldn't) as the hem of her t-shirt rode up her back as she bent to help her daughter with her jacket. He sucked in a breath quietly so she wouldn't hear him.

She rose back up to find Jay's eyes already on her. She chewed on her lip, causing his eyes to roam around her face.

"So we should get going-" Erin spoke.

Jay walked over to her, standing between Erin and the door. He rested against the doorframe with his shoulder, his arms folding across his chest.

"Or you could stay," It was his turn to chew on his lip. "Come on, come to the park with us."

The two girls came to life then, with the mention of the place they loved to play.

"Yes please!" They pleaded with their respective parents.

Erin laughed. "If you're sure? I mean if you're not sick of the sight of us-"

"Oh never," Jay said playfully, reaching for Zoey's jacket and sliding it onto her arms. "Let's go!"

Jay followed the three girls out of the house, the two four-year-olds grabbing one of Erin's hands each.

He walked a pace or so behind them, smiling at the sight. The way Erin took his own daughter like her own, the three of them skipping along the sidewalk.

"Come on Daddy!" Zoey turned around to him, her free hand outstretched for him to hold.

He strode forward to catch up with them. Zoey's little fingers slotted into his palm.

"Are we nearly there?" Daisy spoke up from the opposite side of the line they'd formed.

"Daisy, look" Jay pointed across the street. "We're almost there!"

She squealed in response.

Erin laughed. "You have _no_ idea how much she loves parks."

"Oh this one is the same," Jay made eye contact with her as they crossed to the other side of the road. "I swear she would live there if I let her."

They reached the park area, their daughters quick to let go of their hands and run towards the set of swings.

Jay directed Erin towards the seating area, the side of his hand ever so slightly brushing against hers.

She sat first and he dropped down beside her, leaving only an inch between them. They sat quietly for a while, watching the children play with each other.

"Can I ask you something?" she suddenly turned towards him, her brows furrowing low.

He saw she looked anxious. "What's up?"

"How would you feel if I came back to work? It's just, I need my job back I have Daisy to provide for now and-"

"Erin, it's not up to me whether you come back to work or not." He sighed. "It's not me you have to convince,"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you need to talk to Hank?" He watched as her expression changed.

"Jay," she lowered her eyes to the floor. "Hank knows why I left."

He frowned, knowing his boss had never mentioned her disappearance after she was gone. Almost as though she never existed.

How could she be so honest with Hank and not himself, her partner? It didn't make any sense.

"Oh."

Erin knew he was expecting an answer. An answer as to where she had been for the past five years.

She knew she had to give him them. But sitting on a bench in a local park wasn't the place to give them to him.

Jay could see she was struggling to give him a reply. He wasn't prepared for another awkward moment, given the wedding-ring-stuck-in-hair situation they'd had last night.

He changed the subject. "So, about your house" He noticed her facial expression soften immediately. He assumed she was thankful for the change of topic. "What did you want me to do first?"

Her mouth spread into a grin, flashing her perfectly white teeth at him. "Maybe the paint job?" She laughed to herself then cocked her head to the side.

He chuckled. "Probably a good start. Do you have the paint already?"

Erin grimaced at him and he laughed again. "I'll take that as a no?"

She nodded, hiding her face with her hands. "I guess it totally slipped my mind." She took out her cell from the back of her jeans. "I have time to run to the store and grab some?"

"It's up to you, I'm down to make a start tonight if you wanna? I don't know how long it will take."

She was already getting up to move. "If it's okay with you that would be perfect. I don't want Daisy living on a building site."

He moved to stand next to her. "If you want to go and get the paint, I can bring Daisy home later and stay and work for a bit?"

Erin nodded, tucking a lose curl behind her ear so it wasn't hiding her face. "That works," she placed one of her hands on his upper arm. "Thanks Jay."

He stayed watching her until she was out of his sight. His arm was still tinging from where she had touched him.

And that somehow annoyed him. He wasn't allowed to feel that way about her. Not anymore.

Jay walked over to where the girls were playing. He knew perfectly well they would fuss about having to leave the park.

"Zoey, Daisy! It's time to go." He reached the climbing frame they were currently occupying.

They pretended to ignore him at first, making their way to the other side of it.

They were testing his patience: he thought having one child was exhausting enough. Let alone having to watch over two.

"Come on girls, its home time now." He walked over to the side where they were attempting to hide from him.

"But we don't want to go home yet, Daddy. Me and Daisy are really having fun!"

He groaned. "I know sweetie. But we can come back another day. Right now it's time to go."

His tone seemed to register with her and both girls slowly started climbing down to ground level. Zoey reached the floor first with Daisy a few paces behind. He glanced around the park, it was beginning to get dark. Probably the best time to leave.

Zoey was almost on the ground when Jay heard a thud. Then a cry. Then a scream.

He spun around quickly to his daughter pointing towards her friend. Zoey's little mouth was moving but there were no words coming out. He soon realized what she was pointing at.

Daisy lay in a heap on the ground, her little body not seeming to be moving. Jay swore he'd never ran so fast, reaching her in a matter of seconds. He automatically assumed the worst, he could feel his heart beating in his mouth.

"Daisy?" He moved to her head, cradling it in his arms. To his utter relief, the little girl smiled up at him.

"I'm okay Mr Jay. But my ankle hurts." She tried to sit up.

He stopped her from sitting, allowing himself to breathe out because she was conscious. Being careful not to hurt her further, he scooped Daisy into his arms, before dropping one arm down to hold onto his own daughter. "We'll make sure you're okay Dais." He'd taken to calling her by the nickname given to her by her mother.

 _Oh God. Erin._

He had to tell her.

It took him minutes to get back to his house and he quickly bundled Zoey into the back of the car. He gently placed Daisy in the front before reaching for his cell. His wife picked up on the second ring.

"Hey babe, how was your-"

"Do you have Erin's cell number?"

Her tone angered. "Well hello to you too. And yes I do. Why do you ask?"

Jay started the engine. "Text me it. Daisy had a fall, I'll explain later. Just _please_ give me her number."

He heard rustling on the other side of the connection. "Oh God, okay I'll send it through."

She hung up and he heard his cell buzz a minute later. He clicked on the number and waited for it to ring.

"Hello?" There was questioning in her voice, she clearly didn't know who it was that was calling.

"Erin, it's me. Listen… there's been an accident-"

Her tone turned frantic. "What do you mean? What happened?"

He winced as he told her, feeling like the guiltiest person in the world. "Daisy fell from the climbing frame," He heard her gasp. "She's awake still. But I'm on my way to the hospital."

"I'll meet you there." She whispered, the shaking of her voice severely evident as she spoke.

 **0000000000000000000000000000000**

He felt her presence in the room before she spoke.

"Where is she?!" Her face was red and puffy.

"She's in there," Jay stood from his sitting position, turning to look at her. "Erin-"

He didn't have time to even finish before she'd rushed into the room next door. He looked through the window, watching Erin as she hugged her daughter. Daisy was sitting on the edge of the examination bed, her arms outstretched waiting for her mom.

He was annoyed he couldn't have done something sooner, before Erin got there. Damn the hospital and damn their 'you can't have a say because you're not a parent' rule.

Jay looked down to find his own daughter tugging at his pants. He felt the need to be close to her, picking her up and cuddling her tight.

"Daddy, is Daisy going to be okay?" It wasn't hard to realize her concern for her friend.

He kissed the top of her head. "I think so Zo-bo. I think so." He was convincing himself as well as his child.

"And what about Erin, Daddy?"

"What do you mean, pumpkin?"

"Erin was crying Daddy. What is the matter with Erin?"

He looked again through the small window into the room next door. "I think Erin will be okay. She's just sad because Daisy got hurt."

"I'm sad too Daddy. I hope-"

The door opening interrupted what the child was saying.

Erin walked slowly out of the room, holding Daisy tight in her arms.

Jay's eyes went wide as he made eye contact with her. "Erin," he sighed. "I'm so sorry."

She saw the look in his eyes was sincere. She smiled from one corner of her mouth, a half smile. "It's a sprain." She paused when she reached where he was standing. "She'll be okay in no time."

He studied the little girl. She still had a smile on her face.

She was tough. Like her mom.

Erin spoke again. "I'm gonna take her home. Maybe we should lay off that work for tonight?"

He nodded, frozen to the spot as the pair left the hospital. He felt like he was stuck there for some time before he took his own daughter's hand and made his way home.

 **00000000000000000000000000000**

Glancing at his cell, he groaned when he realized the time. _2am._

Hannah had had so many questions when they had returned. _What had happened? Was Daisy okay? Did anything happen to Zoey? How was Jay feeling?_

He'd answered minimally, wanting to just go to bed. But now he was there, he couldn't get to sleep.

He had tossed and he had turned but sleep just wasn't on the cards tonight. And tonight was the night he needed it, being back at work in the morning.

So much had happened at the weekend he'd temporarily forgotten that little thing called _work_.

Jay grabbed his phone and walked down the stairs. His fingers hovered over the 'last called' button, he couldn't decide if he should call or not. His thumb pressed down on the call button before he knew what he was doing. He thought about just hanging up but she answered almost immediately.

"Hello?" She sounded awake, she didn't sound as though she'd been to sleep either.

He realized when she'd picked up that he wasn't even sure what to say.

"Jay? Are you there?"

He cleared his throat, making sure she heard him. "How is she?"

"Jay, she's fine. I told you, it's only a sprain. She's asleep right now."

"But she's in pain, isn't she?" His voice was shaky.

She didn't reply for a minute. "I told you, she's fine. I promise. She's a four year old child-"

"Exactly," he cut in. "She's a child. And she was _my_ responsibility. And I let this happen." He closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with the hand that wasn't holding the phone.

She noticed the pain in his tone. "Hey," She didn't know what to say to convince him. "She is _okay._ Nothing is broken, she's in one piece." She paused before propositioning him. "You can see for yourself when you come after work tomorrow to start your magic on my house. If you're up to it I mean-"

He finally allowed himself to laugh softly. "I'll see you then."

"Indeed. Bring Zoey, I think Daisy will appreciate the company after being cooped in here all day. Now go to sleep and stop worrying about our- about _Daisy_."

He smiled, forgetting she couldn't see it.

His tiredness overcame him so quickly he failed to notice her slip-up on the phone call.

Jay crawled back into bed next to his wife, secretly looking forward to seeing Daisy and Erin again so soon.

 **Please Review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

When the clock hit 5 Jay almost sprinted out of the district, unlocking the car and driving straight home.

He looked at his watch as he pulled up on the driveway. He'd managed to get home in a matter of minutes, his foot staying steady on the accelerator in a bid to reach his destination.

It was Monday and he was in luck: Hannah's yoga event was today. As long as he was back before 9, he wouldn't have to come clean just yet.

He sighed to himself as he walked towards the door, knowing what he was doing was wrong. He was _married_ for God's sakes. Married people weren't _supposed_ to have secrets.

The other half of him, though, liked the thrill of it. His wife not knowing that he had history with Erin made it kind of exciting. Not that he knew what was going on with Erin. Given the time they had spent together already, they still hadn't really spoken.

Especially about why she had suddenly upped and left out of the blue five years ago. Out of his life without a goodbye.

Perhaps tonight, he could make it a point to ask her. Perhaps tonight he would get the explanation he thought he deserved.

His daughter greeted him when he got into the hallway, her face lighting up as she saw who it was.

"Daddy!" She ran towards him, her feet colliding with his work boots before he lifted her into the air with ease.

Jay smiled at her. "Hey Zo-bo. What are you up to?"

"I'm coloring, Daddy! Come and see!" She wriggled free from his arms and tugged on his hand, wanting him to follow her into the lounge. He walked behind her, kicking off his boots on the way.

Hannah was in there also. "Oh, _finally_ you're home." She rose from the couch and kissed his cheek. "I'm gonna get ready."

Jay looked temporarily puzzled, his eyebrows furrowing before he relaxed. "Oh," he said with realization, "You got that yoga thing."

"I do," She smiled at him as she left the room.

He crashed onto the couch, looking over at Zoey who had resumed her coloring.

"How was school today, bug?"

She looked up from what she was doing. She half smiled at him. "It was okay Daddy-"

He frowned at her. Zoey _loved_ school. "Just okay?"

Zoey looked down at the floor. "I missed Daisy, Daddy. I wish she was there."

Her sad little face made his heart ache. "Come here a sec."

He watched as she slowly left her crayons to walk over to him. When she reached where her dad was sitting, Jay pulled her into his lap and hugged her close.

He knew four year olds could get upset over anything but seeing her so cut up about not seeing Daisy made even himself feel miserable.

Jay took her small hand in his own. "Hey," he began, trying to cheer her up. "How about we go and see her for a bit?"

Zoey's expression changed in an instant, her gloom turning into a full-fledged grin. "Really Daddy, can we?" She clasped her hands together in excitement.

He returned her grin. "Of course, baby. Go to your room and get your shoes on. We'll go see Daisy." He'd barely finished his sentence before she climbed from his knee and made for the stairs.

Hannah came into the room two minutes later, dressed in her exercise attire. "I'll get going." She bent down to kiss him quickly. "I don't think I'll be too late, I'll see you in a few hours!"

"Bye, Han." He tried to make it seem heart-felt but his mind, as usual, was elsewhere.

The faster Hannah had left for yoga, the sooner he and Zoey could leave for Erin's.

Just as Hannah left their home, Zoey came skipping down the stairs.

"Woah, careful you don't fall there Zo!" He moved to scoop her into his arms as she reached the bottom step.

She let out a giggle as he lifted her into the air.

"Sorry Daddy I'm just excited to see Daisy!"

He walked them both out to the car. "Me too Zoey. Me too."

 **00000000000000000000000000000000**

"What are you waiting for Daddy?" Zoey pointed towards the ringer at the side of the door. "You just need to press that button!"

He had no idea why he was so hesitant, he'd been in this very place only yesterday. As if his daughter could sense his nervousness, she moved her hand to hold his.

"Just push the button Daddy." She said with urge, apparently desperate to go inside and see her friend.

He did as his daughter told him, raising his arm to eye level and pushing in the button with his index finger. From somewhere inside he heard the response signal. Along with a dog bark.

"Jasper!" Zoey shouted. "Oh Daddy you get to meet Daisy's doggy!"

"Yup Zo, I think I can hear him!"

He didn't have time to say anything else before he heard somebody unlocking the door in front of them.

He'd seen her only 24 hours ago but he still felt his breath hitch in his throat.

Erin peered around the door half in sight at first, one of her hands grasped around the doorframe. When she realized who it was, she moved so she was in full sight.

She was head to toe in sweats, the lining of the lycra material clinging to her figure in all of the right places. She took her arms from the door, slowing dropping them to rest on her hips.

"Well hello," She pretended to ignore Jay at first, directing her greeting at Zoey.

"Erin!" Zoey ran forward a bit, wrapping her arms around Erin's legs.

Erin stroked the little girl's hair and smiled. "Hey Zoey," She crouched down to Zoey's level. "Daisy is in her bedroom. She's excited to see you-"

Zoey had a habit of running off before people had finished talking to her. She snuck around Erin's body and ran up the stairs. Erin watched her run for a second before turning back towards the door. Folding her arms across her chest, she started at his feet gradually letting her eyes glide up his body.

"Hi," she eventually said when her gaze settled on his face.

They finally made eye contact. "Hi," he repeated, suddenly feeling a shiver sensation taking over his body. And it wasn't because of the cold.

"Aren't you coming in?" She stepped to the side a bit, creating a space for him to enter into the hallway. But not enough for him to do so without their bodies coming into contact.

"Sure," he laughed, stepping forward and coming crazy close to her face. He sucked on his lower lip silently when he felt the slightest touch of her breast against his chest. He didn't dare look into her eyes until the moment had passed, knowing if he did so he wouldn't be able to control whatever he did.

He felt something warm and fuzzy brush against his leg, looking down to find a small grey puppy at his feet.

"Ahh, the famous Jasper," he bent to tickle the dog before it quickly scurried into another room. "So you're the reason my daughter wants a pet!"

Erin cleared her throat and closed the door behind them.

"So, where is this paint?" He immediately cringed after he'd said it, not entirely sure why he'd started their conversation by talking about _fucking paint._

"It's right here," she pointed to a rather large pile by the stairs, mostly taken up by pots of paint.

He laughed, amused at the fact that he'd been oblivious to such an obvious pile. "What room are we starting with?"

She seemed to contemplate his question a moment. "How about the lounge? That's the biggest room, it'll take the longest to do I guess."

Jay nodded in agreement, walking towards the colors. "And what color is the one for in there?"

"The cream one," she walked through the hall into the lounge and Jay took it as a cue to follow her.

She turned back to him, presenting him with paint brushes. "Do you need anything? Coffee? Water? Beer?"

He laughed a little. "I don't think beer is a good idea. I'd kill for a coffee though?"

Erin nodded, leaving him to go temporarily into the kitchen. He started on one of the walls, careful not to splash paint on himself.

She soon returned with his coffee and a drink for herself. She walked over to hand him the mug.

"Thank you for bringing Zoey over, Jay. I think Daisy missed her today."

Jay took a sip of his drink. "I think somebody missed her the same," He put down the mug and his paintbrush, turning to face Erin. "Listen, Erin, about yesterday-"

"I don't want to hear it. I _told_ you, she's fine. Kids have accidents all the time."

"I know, but-"

Erin stepped closer to him, bending to put her own drink on the floor. "Jay, stop. Daisy is _okay._ We can go up and see them if you don't believe me."

She held out her hand and Jay had little hesitation to slip his fingers through her own. He followed her up the stairs, both of them heading down the hallway to where Daisy's room was.

They stopped just outside the door. Jay took his hand from hers, to both of their reluctance. He sighed but knew he couldn't have his daughter seeing him hold Erin's hand: she knew he held Mommy's hand because they were married. And they _loved_ each other.

To see him holding hands with another woman would confuse the hell out of her.

Erin, too, seemed disappointed when their hands parted, but she didn't vocalize what she was thinking. Instead, she focused on the voices coming from Daisy's bedroom.

" _I missed you in school today, Daisy! Miss Kirsty made me play with Jenny and it just made me miss you!"_

" _I missed you Zoey! I like it when you play with me!"_

Erin and Jay exchanged a glance as they continued to listen to the conversation.

" _You really are my best friend Daisy! It's like you are my sister!"_

" _I wish you_ _were_ _my sister!"_

Erin heard Jay chuckle. "That's cute," He turned to face her. "They're cute."

She hoped he couldn't sense anything in her face. "Mhm," She pushed herself into Daisy's bedroom, preventing herself from saying something stupid to Jay. "Hey girls!"

"Erin!"

"Hi Mommy! Hi Mr Jay!"

Jay waved. "Nice to see you again Daisy! What are you monkeys doing?"

"We were just playing! Are you going to play with us?" Daisy had a look of hope on her face.

"I have work to finish downstairs," He started, much to the disappointment of the little girls. "Maybe Erin can play?"

Erin flashed him a look as if to say _thanks for that_ before she moved further into Daisy's room. "I can stay and play for a little while. But then I'll be going back downstairs with Jay. Okay?"

Zoey and Daisy nodded, grateful at the thought of an adult wanting to play.

"I'll see you downstairs in a bit?" She half whispered to Jay, hoping the girls wouldn't hear.

Jay nodded, leaving the door ajar behind him.

He would have probably joined with the fun, but he wanted to get a good start on the painting. And that wouldn't happen if he sat upstairs and got distracted.

Before he reached the stairs, he realized he needed the bathroom. And he couldn't remember which door it was. He didn't want to disturb the girls so he was going to have to guess.

The rest of the upstairs doors were closed. The only one he could remember the location of was Erin's bedroom. That was the door at the other end of the hall so he could rule that one out. The bathroom had to be one of these doors in between.

Jay felt drawn to one door in particular. He had no idea why but then he remembered. It was the door Erin told him not to go in.

He wanted to respect her privacy, of course. He really did. But whatever it was in there couldn't be _that_ secretive could it?

It was almost as though the door was speaking to him, enticing him inside to witness the contents.

His curiosity got the better of him and he turned the door handle. He stepped through the doorframe and closed the door quietly behind him.

There seemed to be a real chill as soon as he opened the door. He thought that was to be expected though, she was renovating the house, of course it was going to be cold.

There was hardly anything in the room. The little furniture that was there, covered with white sheets and hidden from his view. Probably to protect the material while Erin worked on their surroundings.

And it was dark. If he didn't have pretty good eyesight, he would have failed to notice the box in one corner of the room.

But he did and he walked over to it. It wasn't locked or anything, just lying in the corner. So much for all this privacy.

He slowly lifted the lid and gasped.

He didn't dare touch it, perhaps too stunned to move.

For there, in front of him, was a box of letters. Along with what looked like a memory book, pictures of a baby glittering the front cover. Judging the images from the color of the eyes, and the cute little nose it wasn't hard to make out that the baby was Daisy.

As his breath caught in his throat, he realized why he'd had his sudden reaction.

The items, letters and memory book, were both addressed to him.

 _Okay so obviously my next chapter is going to be the **big**_ _one but I hope you guys like this one too._

 _Please Review :)_


	8. Chapter 8

With sweaty palms, Jay reached for the memory book first. It was heavy, heavier than he expected. His hands rested on the front cover.

He didn't have the guts to open it. He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't bring himself to turn a single page. Each time his fingers travelled to the corner to flip it, he just couldn't make them work to turn it.

His eyes shifted down to the letters: without him really counting, there was at least 20 in there. Every single one with his name on. All of them also had dates in the top corner: October 5th 2012, February 2nd 2013, May 13th 2013…

He recognized the handwriting of course, it was Erin's. He knew from the way she swirled her 'y's and crossed her 't's.

It didn't even cross his mind that there could now be another _Jay_ in her life, knowing deep in the back of his mind she probably hadn't. The letters were for him.

It occurred to Jay that somewhere inside the letters could be the answers as to why she'd left without saying anything. Why he hadn't seen or heard anything from her for the last five years. But if he could only bring himself to open one of them.

He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath. He let out a long shaky sigh as he picked up the first letter.

 _October 5_ _th_ _2012._ He frowned, that was four years ago. Amidst Erin being away from him, he was apparently still on her mind.

The corners of the letter were yellowing, so obviously she'd written it as the date stated. He toyed with the edges where it was sealed.

To Jay, it felt like he had been in the room for an eternity. He finally felt ready to open the letter when he heard footsteps in the hallway. _Shit_ he thought _she can't see me in here._

It was dark in the room, making Jay assume it was now dark outside as well as everywhere else in the house. He needed to sneak out of this room, get Zoey and head home. His head wasn't in the right frame of mind to speak to Erin, he needed another opportunity to read the letters. To see if they revealed any truths.

Jay stood from where he had crouched at the box, putting the first of the dated letters into his back pocket. He secretly hoped that, by the time Erin discovered he had been in the room, he would be back at home.

He wiped his sweaty palms down the side of his pants and reached for the door handle. As he thought he'd gotten away with being in the room, he felt a hand tap his lower back. He froze, with his back to her cursing underneath his breath. Thinking of what excuse to come up with.

But, as he turned slowly, he realized it wasn't who he'd been expecting.

"Hi Mr Jay. What are you doing in there?" Daisy looked up at him, a small frown on her face.

Jay looked around quickly, anxious to see if Erin was eavesdropping on the conversation. "Hey Daisy I … uh got lost." He wasn't actually lying, he couldn't remember what room was where up here.

Daisy giggled behind her hands. "Silly Jay! But Mommy doesn't let people in that room," she stopped laughing and pointed at the door behind them. "That's my Mommy's private stuff."

"Oh okay then," He put a finger to his lips, in a bid to keep her quiet. "How is your foot, Dais?"

"It's a bit sore but I'm okay!" She pointed to her bandage, and it was apparent her and Zoey had been let loose with crayons, it was now multicolored.

"That's good. Where is your Mommy?"

"She's in my bedroom with Zoey. I came out to pee!" She grabbed hold of Jay's hand. "Come and play with us!"

Jay tried his best to smile back at her. "I'll be right with you, sweetie. I have to pee, myself."

"Okay!" she ran back in the direction of her bedroom.

Jay went into the right door this time- the bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, feeling the need to calm himself before he saw Erin again.

As he looked at his reflection, his mind went back to what was in the room. He was beginning to piece together certain scenarios in his brain. But he needed to read the letter he had at least, to prove his suspicions.

"Jay?" It was Erin this time, Daisy must have told her where he was.

 _Crap._ His cheeks flushed, wondering if Daisy had said anything about which room he'd came out of.

He quickly splashed his face. "In here. Two seconds." He composed himself before he opened the door. Erin greeted him with a smile, standing in the way of the door with her hands on her waist.

"Oh, _there_ you are. How are you getting on with the painting?" If she did know he'd been in the room, she was great at hiding it.

"I, uh, got distracted," Jay tried with great difficulty to not even glance at the door, knowing she would know if he looked suspicious.

Erin laughed, making eye contact with him as she did so. "Not to worry, I guess I did too." She nodded her head towards Daisy's bedroom. "Are you okay, Jay? You seem quiet."

He smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm good. Tired I guess." He checked his watch and his eyes widened. "Oh crap, it's 8:30. I should be getting Zoey home to bed."

Erin didn't buy it, he seemed to be making an excuse but she didn't say anything. "Sure," she walked with him to Daisy's bedroom. She tried to think nothing of his weird mood. "So what time should I expect you tomorrow?"

He didn't seem to pick up on her playful tone. "Um, I'm not sure if I can do tomorrow. I'll let you know."

Erin was a little taken back at his comment. They had been getting along so well and now it was as though he didn't even want to talk to her. "Oh, okay." She tried to disguise the hint of sadness in her voice, wondering if he'd heard it.

If he had, he didn't let on, just walked further into Daisy's room. "Come on, Zo we better get going."

Zoey grimaced at her dad, but the look on his face was stern. She was quick to jump off of her friend's bed and run towards him. Jay moved to usher them out of the room.

"Bye-bye Daisy! Bye Erin!" Zoey called back into the room before Jay carried her down the stairs.

"Bye Daisy. I'll see you later, Erin." Jay called from his goodbyes but didn't look back. He was quick to put on Daisy's shoes then his own, before heading for the door.

Erin stood transfixed at the top of the stairs as she watched them leave. She was too stunned to speak, waving her goodbyes. When the door was closed, she went back into her daughter's bedroom, Daisy was still busy playing. Erin lowered herself onto the edge of the bed and ran her hand through her hair.

"Are you okay Mommy?" Daisy looked up from what she was doing.

"I'm fine, baby. Are you going to get ready for bed?" Erin smiled down at her daughter.

"But I'm not tired Mommy. Can you read to me?" Daisy shuffled herself to the edge of the bed, making room for Erin to lay with her.

"Of course sweetie, just for a little while." Erin moved to where the little girl had made space. "What did you want me to read?"

"I don't know!" Daisy's eyes fell to the ground, Erin thought she was thinking. She was quiet for a minute. "Do you have secrets from me, Mommy?"

Erin shifted to look at her. The question had shocked her, it had come out of the blue. "Of course not, what do you mean?"

"Your secret room, Mommy. You let Mr Jay go in there but you won't let me."

Erin's eyes went wide. "I didn't let Jay go in there, sweetie-"

"But I saw him Mommy, I saw him coming out of there." Daisy was speaking in an almost whisper, scared she was getting in trouble. Her little finger slowly went into her mouth, as a way of comfort.

Erin felt herself shiver. She got up from Daisy's bed and tiptoes across the hallway. The door still seemed secure, and she half wondered if her daughter was mistaken. But she opened it anyway and forced herself inside.

She wanted to scream and she wanted to cry. The box she had been keeping in there was no longer contained.

He'd seen it. He'd opened it and discovered what was inside.

Even worse, he'd taken them out. Looked through them. Which was probably why he'd excused himself and left in such a rush.

Erin felt her knees go weak and she sank low to the floor. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen, this wasn't the way she wanted to break it to him.

She hated crying but she couldn't stop the tears that threatened. She was angry at herself. Angry at Jay for not listening to her, going in the room against her will.

"Shit," she said out loud. "Shit, shit, shit."

 **0000000000000000000000000000000**

"Can you put the radio on Daddy?" Zoey spoke up from the back of the car.

The car journey began so quiet, Jay thought she'd fallen asleep.

"Sure, Zo-bo." He pushed on the radio so sound blared out of the speakers.

Jay watched as his daughter nodded her heard in time with the music. It made him smile. "You're not tired?"

Zoey shook her head. "No Daddy," she replied to him, then turned to look out of the window. Jay was unsure what she could be looking at, it was so dark outside.

He tried to focus back on his driving, his hands gripping both sides of the wheel. The letter felt like it was burning a hole in his back pocket. He couldn't ignore it, he was going to have to open it as soon as he got home.

His mind floated back to Erin. Now that he thought about it, he'd left abruptly. She probably knew something was up. And he felt bad for not saying goodbye properly. He'd drop her a text later.

Jay pulled into his driveway and carried Zoey inside. She was fighting to stay awake, so she had been tired after all.

Hannah came out of the lounge when he walked through the door.

"Hey," she walked to Jay's side and kissed his cheek. "I'll put her to bed." She reached to take their daughter from him.

Zoey seemed to come to life when she heard her mother. "Story, Mommy story!"

"Okay, just one." Hannah laughed as she carried her upstairs.

Jay bent to untie his boots, relieved that he wife hadn't yet asked where they'd been. There was no doubt that Zoey would tell her, but he could think of an excuse later. He kicked off his shoes and made his way into the kitchen. He went to the refrigerator first, contemplating alcohol but settling instead for a bottle of water.

He reached for the letter, playing with it for a while between his thumb and index finger before deciding what to do with it. He slid a finger underneath the sealed side, ripping the edges and pulling out what was inside. He unfolded the sheet of paper and tried with everything inside him to start reading it.

Before he could bring himself to look at it, his phone buzzed. It was Erin's cell and he'd forgotten he told himself to text her. But now she was calling him and he didn't have a clue what he was going to say. He thought about letting it go to answer machine but he kinda wanted to hear her voice. Despite his thoughts in overdrive, he pushed the answer button.

Jay held the cell to his ear but somehow lost his ability to speak. The only thing he could hear for a couple of seconds was her labored breathing. She sounded like she was, or had been, crying. It made Jay relax a little, whatever she was had kept from him, he still didn't like to hear her upset.

Her voice was little more than a whisper. "Jay?" she sniffed. "Are you there?"

He cleared his throat to let her know he was.

"I don't… I don't want to do this over the phone. Can you come back?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Erin." He realized he sounded like an ass.

She spoke again, sniffling. "Please listen to me. I didn't want you to find out like this-"

Jay had suspicions but he hadn't come to any conclusions yet. "Find out what, Erin?"

"You haven't opened the letter?"

He shook his head. "No," he was fidgeting with the very thing she was talking about on the table. "I haven't."

Erin breathed out rather audibly on the other end of the phone. "Please, Jay" She was pleading. "I _know_ I owe you answers, I know that. Please, come back. I can't do this over the phone."

Jay rubbed his temple with his free hand. When he thought about it, he'd rather have his thoughts conformed in person- if they were true.

He folded the letter and hid it back in his pocket. "I'm on my way."

 **000000000000000000000000000000000**

Again, Jay hesitated when he got to the door. He didn't have his daughter with him for the support this time. He had to force himself to ring the doorbell. He shifted from left foot to right foot before he saw movement.

Erin opened the door, keeping her head low as she ushered them both into her lounge. Neither of them decided to sit. Erin finally looked up and it was evident she'd been crying. A lot. Her eyes were puffy and her lip was still quivering. She looked fragile, as though she was about to cry again any second.

Despite any suspicions Jay may have had, it was still hard for him to see her so vulnerable like this. He stepped closer towards her, intending to wrap his arms around her and comfort her. But she was quick to step back, pushing her hands out in front of her.

"Don't. I don't deserve your comfort, Jay. Not after what-" She paused for a minute then narrowed her eyes. "You shouldn't have gone through my private things." There was a tinge of anger in her tone.

Jay dropped his arms. "I didn't mean to. But I did-"

"And I guess you want me to explain?" Erin wrapped her arms around herself.

"That would be nice. I'm just confused."

Erin frowned. "I…I'm sure deep down you know…"

"I want to hear you say it. I _need_ to hear you say it." He couldn't bring himself to look at her as he spoke.

He watched the floor as her feet moved towards his, stopping just inches away. He heard her breathe in.

"Daisy," she whispered. "She's your daughter."

It confirmed what he had been thinking. But hearing it, hearing her say it aloud shook him. He was reduced to speechlessness. He didn't know how to respond, he couldn't.

He wasn't the best at maths, but he wasn't stupid. "That's not possible," he knew how long he'd been married, how long he'd been with Hannah. "Erin, I'm _married._ And I have been for almost five years." He thought for a while before he added the last sentence. "I'd love her to be mine but she can't be."

Erin ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "You don't remember, do you?"

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	9. Chapter 9

"You don't remember, do you?" Her question echoed through his brain, ringing through his ears.

Jay looked over at Erin. She was looking at him intensely, her eyes wide and biting her lip. She looked from him to the couch and Jay took it as a sign for him to sit.

His feet didn't want to move at first, he had to force himself over to where she motioned. He reached it and sat, watching as Erin slowly followed to occupy the other end.

It felt like an eternity before she turned to face him, her arms dropping to her knees and opened her mouth to speak.

 **lllllllllll**

 _It was barely 10pm and Jay was struggling to stand. If only his feet would stop doing their own thing and if his body would stop swaying. If the room would stop spinning and he could actually see straight. Still, he tried to convince himself he was okay._

 _He clocked his eyes on the other guys at the opposite end of the bar and strode over to them, his eyes fixated on the direction he was going. When he reached them, he grabbed the nearest one's shoulder, half to say hey half to keep himself standing._

 _It was Ruzek. "Oh so_ _ **there's**_ _the man of the hour. Where have you been?"_

 _Jay shrugged, not giving him an answer. He would have replied, if he had an answer to give him. But he could barely string a sentence together and he blamed his friends for that._

 _Ruzek took Jay's lack of response as a sign to continue. "Anyway," he turned to the bar, handing Jay an interesting colored shot. "Here, this is yours. Drink it, then we're headed to Molly's."_

 _Jay grimaced, taking the shot glass from Adam's grip between his thumb and finger. He closed his eyes, tipping it into the back of his throat. He had no idea what the shot had been, but it made the room spin even more. Jay threw the glass on the bar, holding up his hands in defeat._

" _I don't..can't do Molly's…need to…go home." As if his words weren't enough, he made to point to the exit then remembered he didn't have a clue which bar he was in._

" _No way! It's your bachelor party dude, you gotta go out with a bang!" Somebody else came into the conversation, Jay being too wasted to figure out who it was._

 _Before he knew it, he had guys either side of him dragging him to the next bar. Clearly, he wasn't going to be going home any time soon._

 _The cold air outside hit him like a slap to the face. It actually woke him a bit, and he tried his hardest to focus on where he was being led. It wasn't long before they reached Molly's, Jay noticing the familiar surroundings of the place. He was pleased to be back to somewhere he knew._

 _The guys were right, it was his bachelor party. His last night out being a single guy before he became a_ _ **husband**_ _. And it was_ _ **Molly's**_ _. He promised himself he could handle one more drink before he planned to go home._

 _Jay stumbled closer to the bar, reaching into his pants pocket for his wallet. Ruzek saw what he was doing._

" _Nu-uh Jay. You haven't bought a drink all night, you're not about to start now." He pushed Jay into a bar stool and got the attention of the bartenders. He placed a drink and a shot glass in front of Jay, motioning for him to 'cheers' the shot._

 _Resigned to the fact they weren't going to let him leave yet, Jay raised the glass in his hand to collide with Ruzek's._

 _The shots were going to be the death of him. The liquid burned as it travelled down his insides. It was making his senses weaken: he was struggling to see, he couldn't feel his hands and the conversations around him were turning into a mere blur. He held tight onto his glass, gesturing to his friends he was heading to the gents. He clung for life onto the bar as he walked around the corner. He didn't actually have to pee, he needed to chill for a second. But it was always a bonus to be near the bathroom if he thought he was going to throw up._

 _The other side of Molly's was quieter, and he could actually feel the throbbing in his head subsiding a little. Jay slid into a booth and rested both his drink and his head on the table._

 _When he'd mentioned the idea of a bachelor night to Ruzek and the other guys, he thought they could have a few beers and a laugh. He didn't expect to feel half-dead in the middle of his local bar, especially when the night was only half way through._

 _Somebody poked him in the shoulder and it took all the effort in him to lift his head from the table. Ruzek was staring back at him, his eyebrows raised. He was laughing._

" _Hey sleepy," he stood back and pointed behind him. "Someone wanted to see you."_

 _Jay was confused at first, before Ruzek stepped back, revealing his partner. Erin was armed with another two beers, and Jay grimaced at the thought. He tried not to think of them, instead trying to focus on her face and he smiled._

" _Move over," she fought through the boys and squeezed onto the seat next to Jay, who made little attempt to move so their bodies were touching. "I figured I could at least gate-crash for one beer. I mean I'm practically one of the guys anyway, right?" Erin raised her arm into the air, in a bid for the others to clash their beers against her own._

" _You got it, Linds" Adam was the first to respond, bringing his own drink to collide with hers. "I call for more shots!" The guys cheered in union, except the bachelor himself. Jay shook his head. Whilst the guys headed back to the bar Erin stayed with him. She laughed out loud._

" _Jay, you look_ _ **fucked**_ _." She watched as every little movement seemed to be a struggle for him. It took him a good five minutes to look like he'd actually registered what she had said._

 _He was looking down at himself and he couldn't help but laugh. She was right and it was true._

" _I think you're right." He brought his eyes to look at her. She looked especially pretty tonight. Jay was used to seeing her in the work atmosphere and even when they hung outside of work, she never seemed to look_ _ **this**_ _good. Her shirt was clinging to her in all the right places and, as Jay let his eyes travel up her body, it was clear her outfit choice highlighted her assets. Even her face seemed to look prettier. She had more make-up on her face than usual and Jay noticed how long her eye lashes looked. They curved when she blinked, which she seemed to be doing a lot of as he was looking at her._

 _She seemed to be the only thing his glazed drunk eyes could focus on._

 _He scolded himself for looking at Erin this way, trying to convince himself that it was the alcohol talking and not his mind. But there was no way to deny she was easy on his eyes._

" _Do you need water?" She had already started to stand before he shook his head. When he did, she sank back into the booth. She didn't look convinced and she studied his face as he tried to say something that made sense._

" _W-where's Ruzek?" His mind suddenly went to the others he'd been with tonight, thinking they'd been a while at the bar._

 _Erin peered around the corner in search of the guys. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the room, eventually noticed Ruzek and Atwater with a group of girls. The rest of Jay's friends were nowhere to be seen._

" _He's…preoccupied." Erin turned back to Jay, who was now nursing one of the bottles of beer. Probably deciding whether to drink it or not._

 _He clearly thought it was a good idea to finish it as he brought the bottle to his lips and downed the rest of it. Erin watched in disbelief, wondering how he still had room for more beer. He'd clearly had a ridiculous amount of it today._

 _She picked up her own beer just as Ruzek came back to the table. He was armed with a full tray of more drinks, none of them being the one Jay most needed: water. He turned to Jay._

" _Alright man, I'm outta here." He flashed Jay and Erin a wink before heading for the door. "You guys can finish those!" He shouted back._

 _Erin slammed her hands on the table. "Oh God that's so much alcohol." She reached for one of the shot glasses and knocked it back._

" _Well you can't leave me to finish it on my own," the sentence was the longest Jay had spoken whilst Erin had been there. "And you can't turn down f…free alcohol." He chose one of the shots himself and threw it into his mouth. He almost missed but the majority reached his throat, again causing fire to his insides._

 _At the beginning of his night, he hadn't envisioned ending it with his partner. He hadn't even thought he'd see her tonight, she'd even told him to enjoy himself as they'd left the district._

 _As the full drinks slowly got fewer and fewer, he could feel his entire body giving in to the alcohol. He knew he was beyond drunk and, as he partly paid attention to his partner's drinking, he knew Erin was reaching his level. It didn't take her as long to get as drunk, giving the fact her slender frame gave into alcohol in little time. It didn't take them long to empty the tray and they both stared in surprise at the amount they'd just consumed._

" _Woah," the alcohol seemed to hit Erin all of a sudden, so she leaned back resting her head against the seat behind her. She noticed they were two of only a few people left at the bar. "We should go…"_

 _Jay cleared his throat. "I think you're right."_

" _Should I call a cab?" Erin stood up slowly, waiting for Jay to do the same._

 _He nodded and stood too. He led her towards the door, grabbing her hand unconsciously as he did so. The bar was nearly empty but the time they consumed getting to the door made it seem as though the bar had still been full._

 _By the time they made it outside, the cab was there waiting so they didn't have to wait in the cold._

 _Erin stepped towards the cab first, her teeth chattering as she spoke. "So, we swing by my place then-"_

" _Can I crash at your place?" He seemed to say stupid things when he was drunk, they just slipped out. He didn't even realize how inappropriate he sounded, the request probably was strange. Although it was dark, he imagined Erin raising her eyebrows in surprise. He attempted to make a case for himself. "Hannah'll kill me if I show up like this-"_

" _Sure." What was she saying?_

" _-I'll take the couch of c-course. Wait, really?" He had expected Erin to be more resistant._

 _Erin laughed. "I said_ _ **sure.**_ **"** _She let go of his hand and pushed him towards the cab. "Now get in."_

 _He followed her orders and crawled into the back. She followed him, neither of them really speaking for the main part of the journey. Jay was struggling to keep his eyes open whilst Erin stared out of the window, not knowing exactly what she was looking at. Her drunk eyes weren't focused on anything. It was quiet, yet it wasn't uncomfortable. They soon reached Erin's apartment._

 _The two of them stood outside a while, whilst Erin fumbled for her keys. Jay was laughing but Erin shot him a glance and he soon stopped._

" _You might want to quit with the laughter, if I can't find my keys you'll be sleeping- AHA1" She seemed pleased with herself that she'd found them._

" _Oh, congratulations!" He chuckled, letting himself into the apartment and heading straight for the kitchen._

" _What_ _ **do**_ _you think you're doing?" She almost ran after him, stopping as she reached the kitchen door. "Don't you think you've had enough?!"_

" _Relax, I'm getting water," He took a bottle from the refrigerator and shook it at her. "You want?"_

 _Erin nodded and he threw one at her, his drunk aim way off so it hit the floor with a thud._

" _Ass," Her eyes narrowed but her tone was playful. "You need to go to bed."_

" _I need to go to bed." He repeated, following her as she made way for the lounge._

 _Jay thought Erin would leave him almost immediately but was surprised when she flopped onto the couch he was using for a bed. He took the opportunity to make himself at home, kicking off his shoes and sitting down himself. Erin reached behind her, pulling the throw forward and tossed it at Jay._

" _Can I get you anything? Sick bucket?" She giggled._

" _Oh ha ha. Very funny. I think I'm good." He sat up a little, reaching for her hand. "Seriously thanks for this."_

 _She nodded, not making an attempt to move away. "Did you have fun tonight?"_

" _I did."_

" _Then that's all that matters" She shifted slightly on the couch. "Goodnight, Jay."_

 _When Erin let go of his hand, he refused to let go of hers. In the heat of the moment, he was leaning forwards, towards her._

 _She appeared to momentarily do the same, before snapping into reality and pulling away._

" _Jay," She pushed his hands away and moved to stand up. "I'm heading to my room before we…I…before you do anything you regret." She slowly tiptoed from the lounge and Jay heard her footsteps as she padded into her bedroom. He waited to hear her door click closed, but it never did._

 _With all his might, he tried to sleep, closing his eyes and pulling the throw-over across his body._

 _Then he remembered what she'd said._ "Before you do anything you regret." _In his drunk state, he was analyzing her word choices. Did her use of 'you' mean she wasn't going to regret it?_

 _He tossed and he turned and he stared at the pitch black ceiling. Eventually, he got up. He slowly made his way across the hallway, willing his body to stay quiet and not crash into everything. When he reached the door he knew was Erin's bedroom, he toyed with himself whether to go in or not. He half expected to hear her small snores but he heard no such thing._

 _Her door was ajar so he pushed it just enough to fit through the gap. She must have heard him, and not been asleep, her body immediately rising from the covers._

" _Jay, what the hell?!" She pulled the covers up to her neck, gripping them tight with both hands._

 _He didn't reply at first, walking further into the room and not taking his eyes off her. it was dark in the room because of her curtains, but even under the influence he could make out her silhouette, her hair falling in front of her face._

" _Who said I'd regret it?" it was almost a whisper, but he made sure it was loud enough for her to hear._

 _He heard her gulp audibly. "What?"_

" _You said "before I do anything I regret." Who said that I'd regret it?"_

 _She didn't say anything to make him back away. Jay's legs collided with the edge of her bed as he spoke the words and he slowly lowered his body onto it and towards her. When he reached her, he wasted no time in graving her face, rather messily, and pulling it towards his own._

 _Erin started to kiss him back, ignoring the urge to resist his advances. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him further onto her. She wanted to push him off but the noises escaping her body told her otherwise._

 _His own reactions told her he was already lost in her. She was about to follow after him, getting lost in him too._

 **lllllllllllllllllll**

Before she'd even finished the recount, Jay was up and he was pacing as the storytelling brought to life the night he'd hidden from memory. He paced, left to right storming the length of her lounge.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh _shit_."

Erin was crying again, really crying and his words weren't helping.

"Jay, please calm down" she pleaded with him.

"How can I calm down Erin? I…I _cheated_ on my fiancée and I have _another_ daughter I had no idea about!" He stood still temporarily and chewed on his lip: not one but two bombshells had been dropped on him tonight. And it was going to take him a while to process.

But looking at Erin, he realized he _did_ feel bad for her. She was the image of a broken girl: her tears were refusing to stop and she was looking down at the floor. Jay knew the last thing she needed was him having a go. More to point, she wouldn't fill in the gaps of the story if he was pissed at her.

Jay let out a sigh before moving back towards the couch and sitting next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she didn't pull away this time. Instead, she seemed to sink into him, the tears she let fall soaking into his shirt.

"I'm _so_ sorruy Jay," she spoke between sobs. "I'm truly so sorry. I should have told you. But you were getting _married._ And you looked so happy, I couldn't ruin that. But I shouldn't have kept her a secret from you I'm just..so…sorry."

"You don't have to keep apologizing." He told her, but he wasn't sure if he believed it himself.

He didn't know how or what the news meant. But he did know his life was about to change. and it was about to change forever.

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	10. Chapter 10

After what felt like hours, he peeled himself away from Erin. Her sobs had subsided, and Jay thought she was falling asleep on him. Her breathing had slowed and she was lethargic.

Jay got it, he thought he understood. Not exactly why she'd kept Daisy from him, but telling him now he knew she'd be exhausted. He needed to let her rest up before he asked her any more questions. Now wasn't the time for that: he craved his answers, but thought it best to leave Erin for a few hours. Whether she was tired, or pissed at him for being pissed at her, Erin wasn't in any frame of mind to answer any questions he had tonight.

He moved slowly to get up from the couch, taking his hand back for himself. Erin stirred a little, but made no effort to get up as well. The room was silent until he got the door, then she whispered out to him.

"Jay, the spare room. Please, just take them."

He knew automatically what she was referring to: the items in the room he had been forbidden to go in. The personal memories, ones Erin had obviously kept to document the life of her – their- daughter. He gently nodded at her, and started to climb the stairs. Before he went into the room, he paused. Now that he was _allowed_ to go in, he found himself not wanting to. He was standing there in the silence, and tiny footsteps padded the carpet behind him unbeknown to Jay.

"What are you doing here, Mr Jay?" Daisy appeared round the corner of her bedroom, rubbing sleep from her eyes with a small scrunched up fist. She looked confused in the darkness, and Jay was temporarily frozen.

The last time he'd spoken to her, she was his ex-partner's daughter. Now he was talking her with the discovery she was _his._ His feet seemed to be stuck into the carpet, but he could still make out Daisy's small silhouette in the darkness. Her little bare feet were moving towards him and he tried his best to start up a conversation with her.

"Hey, Daisy." It was all he came up with at first, waving a hand to accompany his words even though he wasn't sure she could even see it in the dark.

Before long she was standing right in front of him. She tilted her head to look at him when she reached his feet. The darkness was set in all around the house, but a single frame of light fragment from the ajar room shone onto her face.

Jay took in a sharp intake of breath. Even more so in this strange light, she was the double of her mother. And it hadn't registered in his mind before, but he thought she had his nose. Everything about her was Erin, except her nose. It was _his_ nose.

Daisy seemed oblivious to the fact Jay was staring at her. She continued to question him, in a tiny whisper.

"What are you doing here, Mr Jay? Did you bring Daisy here to play?" Jay watched as she suppressed a yawn, clearly not wanting him to know she was tired.

Jay crouched down to her level and laughed. "I'm afraid not, sweetie. Besides, aren't you sleepy? Don't you want to go back to bed?"

He looked at the little girl as she tried to fight the sleep away from her face. Her eyes were dropping but she still shook her head fiercely. Jay wanted to laugh, he'd seen this kind of stubbornness from somebody else lately. Hannah had been right, Zoey _had_ got her stubbornness from him. Because Daisy had inherited it too.

He slowly rose back up to normal level, reaching out to take her hand in his own. Daisy didn't hesitate to take his grip, her teeny fingers fitting into the crevices of his palm. Together, they walked back to her bedroom.

It was almost as though Daisy knew she shouldn't have been out of bed, her little body scurried back into the covers. Jay moved to walk back out of the room when she spoke.

"Can you tuck me in, Mr Jay? Please?"

The intonation of her questions were vaguely familiar too, and Jay couldn't deny doing what she wanted when he heard it. He padded slowly back into the room and leant across to pull the covers over her.

"Did you fight with my Mommy because you went into that room?"

Jay froze, when Daisy had caught him he thought he'd managed to get away with it. Clearly she was cleverer than she appeared, and the question caught him off guard. He pulled away from her, to look at her. She looked so small and tiny in her bed, the covers wrapped all the way up to her chin. It was just enough for him to see her face, and she was pouting, waiting for her answer.

"What? No, sweetie. We weren't fighting, we were just talking." He couldn't come up with an argument as to why he was there so late, so he hoped she wasn't going to ask.

"But I heard my mommy crying. And I heard you say a _swear._ " Daisy spoke under her breath, as if she knew she shouldn't have been listening. She looked at Jay directly in the face, as if he was under interrogation. And he felt like it, having to answer all of her inquisitive questions.

Jay grimaced knowing that, if she was anything like Zoey, she wasn't going to drop the subject quickly. In fact, knowing what they were like, he was fairly certain of having to live this down for the rest of time. Once you were caught cussing by a four year old that was it.

"I'm sorry Daisy, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry if you heard that. But your Mommy is okay. I think she'd sleeping now."

His reply seem to satisfy the little girl and she slowly rolled over to go to sleep. "Goodnight Mr Jay," he heard her whisper as he padded across the carpet towards the door.

"Goodnight Daisy." He found himself whispering a reply to her, even though she probably didn't hear.

Seeing her just a short while after being told she was his, hit him harder than he thought it would. It was almost as though he didn't know what to say to her even though, in her eyes, nothing was different. Of course it hadn't been the right time or place to tell her the truth, Jay knew that, but it felt strange to him that the conversation had been strained.

He had _two_ daughters. His thoughts were whizzing around his brain as he walked back down the stairs. And he had absolutely no idea how he was going to tell them.

And tell his wife. Oh god, _Hannah._ How was he going to break the news to his wife? The better part of him didn't want to tell her yet, without a doubt their relationship would be over. He didn't want to break up his family unit, they were good together. They had a home, two good jobs and a stable life for Zoey. He'd have to think of a way to break this news gently, if that could be done at all.

He jumped out of his skin when he saw Erin at the bottom of the stairway, half expecting her to still be asleep on the couch. Instead, she was leaning against the doorframe watching as he reached the last step.

She'd sent him upstairs for the things in the spare room and he was only noticing now that he was coming down empty handed. And it was clear she noticed as she studied his bare hands behind his side. She looked confused, he'd been up there a little while and didn't come down armed with the book or any photographs.

"I.. I guess I couldn't go in," he shrugged, knowing it was a piss excuse because he had been fine the last time. "I ran into Daisy-" He looked at Erin as her eyes went wide, and he knew what she automatically presumed. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her."

Erin exhaled loudly, the shaking still evident in her breathing even though she hadn't spoken yet. She nodded her appreciation. "Thank you," she whispered.

Jay moved quickly towards the door, scared he would say something he didn't mean to say. He was still mega _pissed_ but he knew Erin didn't need to hear that tonight. He took the door off the latch and walked into the cold air outside.

"Jay," he heard from behind him. "What does this mean for us?"

He swallowed. "I don't, I don't know Erin." And it was the truth, he didn't have a clue how he was going to deal with the actions of his past. "Zoey will be looking forward to her play date though, so I guess I'll be back tomorrow. I can't disappoint my daughter."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"She's going to have to know, Erin. Hell, she'll probably be ecstatic at the thought of a big sister. I just don't know what I'm going to tell my _wife_." He found the will to turn around to her, and watched as she welled with tears again. He couldn't do anything about it this time and he got into his car and slowly backed off the driveway.

Jay could hardly concentrate on the drive home. He tapped his foot and scratched his head and fiddled with the knobs on the radio but didn't turn it on. He just didn't know what to do with himself. The thought had entered his mind previously that he _could_ be Daisy's father but he thought it was just a theory. He never thought he'd be returning to his family home with the fact he had two daughters, and perhaps about to break up his marriage. Hannah _had_ to know, he couldn't deny it. As he continued on the road, he contemplated whether to tell her tonight or tomorrow.

He settled on tomorrow, knowing if he went home and broke the news to her in the middle of the night she might kick him out of the house.

He finally reached home and got out of the car. When he reached the front steps, he saw that the lounge light was still illuminated. Jay thought nothing of it: Hannah usually fell asleep in front of the TV for a few hours before heading up to bed. He tiptoed through the passageway and into the lounge, where he was met with a cushion thrown at his face.

"Where the hell have you been?! What the hell Jay?" Hannah shouted with full force from the opposite side of the room.

"Hey, what? I've been at…"

"And don't' you dare say you were at Molly's. I spoke with Kevin. Where the hell were you?" The anger was clear in her face and in her tone: she was pissed. And this was even before he'd told her where he'd actually been. He was temporarily stunned, Hannah wasn't usually this feisty unless she'd had a drink.

Jay edged nearer to her, trying to figure out if she had. It was difficult whether she was swaying so much because she was pissed or because she was wasted. And it wasn't like her to have a drink through the week, she usually saved it for the weekends. With each step he took towards her, her eyes seemed to narrow more. Clearly she wanted to know badly where he'd been.

"Well? Are you going to tell me?" Her hands had gone to her hips now.

There was no point in lying to her, even though he'd kept a massive lie from her that he'd just remembered tonight. "I've been at Erin's,"

"Erin as in Daisy's mom? What the hell were you doing there?" If it was possible, she was still getting angrier and Jay immediately regretted telling her the truth. He could have easily fabricated where he had been, especially if she was drunk because she wouldn't even remember in the morning.

Okay now was definitely _not_ the right time to tell her. "Daisy picked up something of Zoey's at school. I went to go and pick it up."

Hannah sank down onto the chair, and Jay thought it was a sign she believed him. "I hate this, I hate this Jay. I feel like we never see each other anymore. I feel like when you're here I'm not and vice versa. It's like we co-parent Zoey and don't do anything else. You don't look at me anymore, you don't touch me anymore."

Jay noticed she had been drinking because she wouldn't talk like this sober. But, drunk words were sober thoughts. It was obvious these feelings had built up inside his wife and now they were erupting. And he didn't know what to do about it.

"Hannah, you're drunk. Let's go to bed and we can talk in the morning." He wasn't in the frame of mind to argue, nor did he want to hear what he was afraid would come out of Hannah's mouth. He'd had enough news broken to him tonight, and he didn't need any more.

She seemed to agree with him and followed Jay out of the lounge and up into the bedroom. They both quietly undressed and got under the covers and Hannah turned her back on him before he had the chance to say anything to her.

Jay was so busy wallowing in what had happened in the last few hours. He felt like such a bad person tonight, for remembering the fact he'd slept with Erin not only that but did it behind Hannah's back and he had another daughter whose life he hadn't been part of. Both discoveries killed him inside: he wasn't a bad person, he wasn't. It was completely out of character for him to cheat on somebody he loved and the fact that it was with his partner made it a hundred times worse. He _loved_ Hannah but perhaps this told him he couldn't hide any feelings he had towards Erin too. But Erin had kept a daughter from him, and consequently he'd missed so many milestones from the first four years of her life. He'd missed her learning to walk, talk and start school. He'd missed her first tooth, her first curl and the moment she stopped using diapers. He'd missed her first giggle, her first fall and hadn't been there when she'd been in floods of tears. When she'd needed her _Daddy._

He thought back to when those memories happened with Zoey, it was special. It felt amazing that he was a father, he never thought he'd have the opportunity. And Zoey seemed to worship him sometimes, the same way as he worshipped her. Now there was somebody else- two other people- in the picture and he didn't know how he was going to handle his new reality.

Jay vowed in the morning he was going to tell Zoey. He knew the story was going to make him sound like an ass, but she deserved to know the truth. And so did his wife but Jay had a feeling that she wouldn't take it as well as their daughter; it made him feel slightly sick that his marriage could be over in a matter of hours.

It seemed like his thoughts were taking over his brain and he tried hard to fight them so he could get some sleep. He then noticed that Hannah seemed to be talking in her sleep, although he didn't realize she was asleep at first.

"What did you say?" he found himself talking, she was mumbling and he couldn't quite work out what she was telling him.

"I slept with the yoga instructor."

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	11. Chapter 11

Jay had thought about just ignoring what she'd said. He half expected it to be a lie, she was drunk and sometimes had a tendency to say stupid things when she was intoxicated. And she'd just dropped it so casually upon him in their bedroom, had she expected him not to react? She was pissed at him anyway for being out till late, so Jay thought she may have just been adding fuel to the fire. Then again, she didn't really have a reason for saying it. _Unless it was true._

He was already riled up from the previous events of the evening that he didn't want to keep quiet. "What did you just say?" His body jolted up in the bed, as it actually registered in his brain what his wife had exclaimed.

Of course she seemed hesitant to repeat herself, and she slowly turned her body to face him before she said anything. Jay thought she'd spoken to him in her sleep, but her eyes now found his own and he could just make them out in the darkness. Before any words had left her lips, Jay could hear her trying to clear her throat. This was it, he was going to hear it again.

"I thought you knew," she said in a whisper, still slurring because of her alcohol intake.

Jay scoffed at her. "Oh yeah, this is the face of somebody in the know!" His anger built momentarily, but he was careful not to start shouting. The last thing they needed was for their daughter to wake up and hear the commotion. "What the hell, Hannah?"

"Jay, please," Here she was, thinking she had a right to plead with him. "I thought you were doing the same to me," she finished softly.

Jay knew he was being a hypocrite, he knew what Erin had told him meant he had to have cheated on his wife. "What are you talking about?"

Hannah sat up in bed, too. "Erin," she slurred. "She's the one that used to be your partner, am I correct? The one who you talked about a lot, but disappeared out of the picture so suddenly and I never met her?" She temporarily paused and watched as Jay reluctantly nodded his head. He didn't know where she was headed with her assumptions, but it was probably going to be closer to the truth than she expected. "I just thought, she's back in the picture now and with you spending all your time at her house I…"

"Twice, I've been to her house twice." Jay growled, knowing he was going to have to tell the truth at some point. "And you presumed I was sleeping with her? That's the conclusion you jumped to?" He couldn't sit still for much longer, rising up and pacing around the length of the bed.

Hannah was quiet then, and Jay was left pondering and wondering what she was thinking. Either he had to keep up the lie he was unfolding, or he had to come clean. He wasn't really the type of person to lie, though. When he was done with the wandering around, he sat on the seat to Hannah's dresser. He turned to face her.

"It wasn't like that." He sighed deeply, knowing he had confirmed any suspicions Hannah had of his infidelity. Whatever words were going to slip from his mouth, he was still going to sound like the bad guy. He didn't know why he was about to reel off his story in the first place, her being so intoxicated that she may not remember events the following morning. Still, he felt he had to be truthful. "Daisy is my daughter."

Apparent on Hannah's face, whatever she'd expected him to say hadn't been that. "What?" Her small mouth made shapes, as if words were gonna fall out but they didn't. "Okay, what?"

It let to Jay retelling the events from his bachelor party, the night he'd blocked from memory and one Erin had filled in the gaps of. She remained silent as he spoke, occasionally nodding her head in response. When he was done, his wife was staring at him wide-eyed, and he couldn't blame her. He'd just essentially admitted to being unfaithful, even before they'd made their vows.

If anything though, Jay noticed, Hannah seemed more shocked than she was pissed. He'd expected an angry Hannah to storm around the room, maybe smash some stuff and perhaps take a swing at him. But she didn't move from the bed. It was evident to Jay that she was fighting away tears and that made Jay feel even more shit. Like Jay had, it seemed to take Hannah a while to process what she had just been told.

"So she kept Daisy from you for almost five years?" Hannah let with such a random question, it shocked Jay. He'd told her almost everything and still she seemed concerned for him. "And you just found out tonight?"

"I guess she didn't want to break us up." Jay didn't have any other explanation, there were still gaps in Erin's story for him to discover himself. "Hannah, I'm sorry. I blocked that night from my memory. If I had remembered sooner I swear, I would have told you straight away-"

"Save it, Jay. You're not the only one who cheated. Although you _were_ first. It's just up to you what you want to do about it." Even in her drunken slumber, she seemed to be making sense. From the way she was speaking, it sounded as though she didn't want it to be the end of their marriage. "What is the deal with Daisy's mom?"

"She just moved back, I guess. I don't know if it was her intention to run into me, but now I know. I guess we have to tell the girls-"

"You can take care of that. This is your mess and you have to fix it." To Hannah, the conversation was over and she turned away from him to return to her slumber. She was right in a way, he had to be the one to tell Zoey and Daisy.

There was no way he was getting back to sleep tonight, he quickly checked the alarm clock beside his bed and noticed it was almost 4am. He would have to be up for work soon anyway, so he slumped downstairs and through into the kitchen. He couldn't help but feel like shit, but he didn't give himself any sympathy. _He_ had caused this, and he had to face the consequences. He was stuck on what to do.

Jay knew he had to tell his daughters, they had the right to know. He didn't know how he was going to do that though, without making him seem like a bad person: Zoey wanted a sibling but probably one from himself and Hannah; Daisy would be asking him why he hadn't been in her life thus far. The thought of telling them made him feel a little sick. At least he had time this morning to prepare himself, time to maybe compose a way to tell them so he wouldn't look like bad Daddy.

He walked over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and sat down at the dinner table. He wasn't even thirsty, instead he twirled the bottle around in his clammy hands in a bid to distract himself. So much had gone down tonight and he didn't know if he had even processed half of what had happened. Jay must have dozed off eventually and he was awoken by a pair of tiny hands on his arm.

"Daddy?"

Jay stirred and lifted his head from the wooden table. He had such a creak in his neck. Zoey was staring at him, standing at his side in her romper suit. He smiled softly at her. "Hey pumpkin, are you hungry?" He pulled the little girl onto his knee and cuddled her close.

"Daddy, that tickles! Stop it!" She giggled, as Jay's stubbly face came into contact with her cheeks. "Can you make me breakfast, Daddy?" Zoey pulled herself away from him slightly, but didn't make an effort to move from his lap. "Can you make me pancakes?"

"You know you're only allowed pancakes at weekends, Zo-bo! Nice try!" Jay laughed, and it amazed him how she could automatically take him away from his horrible mood from the previous night. She was like a tiny talking anti-depressant. Even though he wasn't depressed- she made him feel better immediately. "How about oats?"

Zoey grimaced at him. "Ew, yuck!" She stuck out her tongue and Jay fought to grab it, making her laugh even more. "Can I have toast, Daddy?"

"Yes Zo, you can have toast." He picked her up and sat her on the counter as he started her breakfast.

Zoey shuffled closer to him as he spread butter on her toast. "Where did you go last night, Daddy? I wanted you to tuck me in and you weren't here." She pouted at the end of her sentence, in a bid to make Jay feel guilty. More guilty than he was already feeling.

He groaned, knowing that telling her where he'd been would only cause her to ask more questions. "Daddy was at Daisy's house. I had to give something to Daisy's Mommy." It was the best he could come up with, under pressure to answer her quickly.

"You went back to Daisy's house again? But we just went there!" He couldn't blame her for being confused, they had been there previously in the evening when the two girls had played together.

"I know, sweetie." He fought to keep her quiet as he gave Zoey her breakfast. She wasn't usually allowed to eat at the breakfast bar, but Jay was all for it if it meant she wasn't going to ask him any more questions. He made himself some breakfast also and sat down next to her.

"Can you take me to school today, Daddy?" Zoey asked as she wiped her mouth free of breadcrumbs. "I like it when you take me to school."

"I can't, I have to go to work. Mommy will have to take you. Daddy can pick you up though?" His offer for the end of the day seemed to satisfy Zoey and she grinned at him.

"Oh yes please Daddy!" Zoey squealed and Jay lifted her away from the counter.

"Come on, we have to get ready!" He chased her from the bottom of the stairs to the top and watched as she ran into her own room to get ready. Almost as though, the quicker she got herself ready, the quicker the end of the day would come. He went back into his own bedroom.

Hannah was still in bed, her body half in the covers. Jay could hear her soft snores even though her face was turned away from him. He scoffed, glad that at least one of them had managed to get some sleep tonight. In a way he didn't want to disturb her hungover state, so he quickly grabbed his clothes and headed towards the bathroom. Within ten minutes he was showered and dressed, knowing he was going to have to leave early to take his daughter to class. He walked slowly to Zoey's room.

She had managed on the most part to get herself dressed, only a few of the buttons on her dress were misplaced. Jay rushed over to her and fixed them, then scooped her into a hug.

"Looks like Daddy is taking you after all, bug. Mommy is still sleeping." He picked up Zoey's backpack with his free hand and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Zoey had a firm grip around his neck as they walked down the stairs. "Oh yay Daddy!" She suddenly averted her eyes away from Jay, then whispered. "Is Mommy tired because that man was here last night?"

Jay reached the end of the stairwell with a thud. His work boots were heavy, but his daughters comment almost made him miss the last one and he just about balanced them at the end of the hallway. "What are you talking about, Zo-bo?" He waited for an answer as he reached for both their jackets, helping Zoey first then doing his own.

"Last night Daddy, I needed to pee so I went to the bathroom and Mommy was talking to a man downstairs. He was _noisy,_ " she exclaimed. "He was keeping me awake." She folded her arms in front of her body, expressing her feelings towards this guy to her Dad. Zoey was usually relaxed towards other people, so the guy must have made a bad impression.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe," Jay frowned, he hadn't noticed when he came home last night there had been somebody else there. Perhaps that was the reason why Hannah was so drunk.

Zoey didn't say anything else about it, and the only thing from her mouth in the car journey were song lyrics as she sang to the radio. Jay tried hard to focus on his driving, both hands gripping the steering wheel as he pulled up towards his daughter's school. They were early so he was able to find a parking space quickly and he turned off the engine. Zoey seemed eager to get into school.

"Come on Daddy!" She attempted to undo her booster belt, making cute grunting noises as she did so. Jay got out of the driver's side and undid her fastening with ease. Zoey practically jumped into his arms after he did so. He walked the pair of them to the gates, and Jay had already clocked Miss Kirsty standing in the doorway. He knew he had a risk of being late for work, so slowly lowered Zoey to the ground.

"Look Zoey, there's Miss Kirsty waiting for you. Daddy has to go to work," He kissed her forehead before she ran from him. "I'll see you later!"

"Bye Daddy, love you!" She blew him a kiss quickly before she ran out of sight.

Jay walked briskly back to his car and drove to the district. It felt like an eternity since he'd last been there, when in reality it was only yesterday. He ignored everybody he came into contact with and ran up the stairs. The team were already there but it was quiet. He snuck behind his desk, letting out a sigh as he sank into his desk chair.

When Hank gave the briefing, it was evident the case was almost over. Most of the work was gonna be done in the district today, and Jay was kind of glad. He constantly felt distracted, so knowing he wouldn't make a mistake on a big case was a little bit of a bonus. Even focusing on his computer screen was a task, and he was pissed at himself for letting himself become so unfocussed. It wasn't like him at all, and usually he was able to separate his work life from his personal life. Today was a different story though, and he found himself thinking up scenarios of how he was going to break it to his daughters that they were siblings.

Since Zoey had been born, his boss had given him more leeway with the time he spent in the office and he was about to take advantage of that today. As much as he loved his job as a Detective, he didn't have anybody to rely on to pick up Zoey from school. He didn't want to rely on his wife, for all he knew she could still be in bed. Jay left his desk at 3pm sharp and ran towards the car. He dropped Hannah a text on his way, telling her they would be home soon. She didn't reply, and he didn't think anything of it. When Hannah had a good drink, she struggled to function the next day. Even though they were both in their 30's, it was as though Hannah's hangovers were that of a teenager.

Zoey was waiting with Miss Kirsty when Jay arrived. He'd thought he'd given himself lots of time to get there, but it seemed everybody else had already been picked up. Zoey's little face lit up when she caught sight of him and she ran towards him as fast as her legs could go.

"Daddy, there you are!" She lifted up her arms in a bid for her dad to pick her up. Jay scooped her with ease and waved a hand at her teacher.

"How was your day, Zo-bo?" Jay said as he strapped her into her booster. "Did you have fun?"

"I guess," she sounded less enthusiastic than she had been this morning. "I missed Daisy."

Jay was confused. "Why, sweetie? Was she not there?"

Zoey shook her head. "No Daddy. Can we go and see her?" She looked hopeful, and Jay took her request into account. She was going to have to know some time, but telling them together perhaps wasn't the best option.

"Maybe later? We should go home first, go and see Mommy?" Jay knew she was about to kick up a fuss, but he couldn't go straight over to Erin and Daisy's without going home first.

"Please, Daddy? I just want to see her." Zoey had the pleading thing down to perfection, and it proved impossible for Jay to deny her what she wanted. Her blue eyes went wide and she clasped her pint-sized fists together. " _Pleaseee._ "

Jay soon found himself on route to Erin's, taking the turn off for her house rather than his own. When he reached the street, Zoey was so eager to get out of the car that she squealed. It tickled Jay, the fact she was so excited to see Daisy even though she'd seen her yesterday. He was a little reluctant to get out of the car, considering what had went down the last time he was here. Zoey, however, wasn't so

"Come on Daddy, what are you waiting for?" Zoey tugged on his muscular arm in a bid to make them both exit the car.

The blinds of Erin's house were tilted, and Jay couldn't see in. The rooms seemed to also be in darkness and Jay wondered if there was anybody home. Her Jeep was on the driveway, though so he followed Zoey up to the door. By the time he got there, she had already rang the doorbell.

Erin answered a minute later, and Jay noticed little difference from the night before. She'd clearly not been to sleep and she was still in her pj's. Her skin was still stained with her tears, but she still forced the little girl a smile. "Hey Zoey. What's up?"

Zoey peered into the doorway, looking for her friend. "I missed Daisy today. Is she here? Can I see her?" As soon as Zoey saw Erin nod her head, she sprinted inside out of her dad's sight.

When she had gone, Jay took a step closer towards the door. He wasn't sure if the situation between himself and Erin was about to be awkward. He'd sure felt awkward when he had left earlier, but they'd both had hours apart. Erin offered him a heart-breaking smile and stepped the side, so he could follow her through the doorframe.

The last thing Jay wanted was for things to be difficult between them. They were, in fact, about to become much more involved in each other's lives. He returned her smile as he got inside.

"Erin-"

"Did you tell her yet?" She jumped straight in with the question and Jay was kind of glad because he had no idea what to lead with.

"No, I didn't." Jay stood for a moment scratching his chin. He'd let himself go a little lately, the stubble growing there was occupying the bottom half of his face. But a beard was certainly the _least_ of his worries. "I was thinking we tell them together, but I think Hannah should be there too. She _is_ Zoey's mom."

Erin nodded. "You're right, I guess she'll be there for back-up if Zoey is upset," She folded her arms across her chest and looked at her ex-partner. "Shall we drive over to your place?"

Jay signalled his agreement and they called the girls from the lounge. Luckily for Erin and Jay, the girls didn't question it: they seemed to only care about being with each other. They bundled into Jay's car and drove to his home. The car journey was quiet again, but the girls seemed to be deep in conversation in the back.

Jay noticed Erin was extremely quiet, knowing she was about to come face to face with his wife. To be fair, he was a little apprehensive about the meeting himself: as of last night, they were both mothers of his children.

They reached Jay's driveway and they all got out of the car. Jay thought it his duty to go in first, the news was on him. He opened the door and realized his house was still eerily quiet. Hannah couldn't _still_ be asleep, could she? When all four of them were inside, he called out.

"Hannah?" quiet at first and then, when she didn't respond, "HANNAH?" He watched as Zoey ran further into the house, followed by her friend – her _sister_ \- and then Erin. It was like Hannah was ignoring them. Zoey ran up the stairs in search of her, and Erin ran after her in a protective manner. After a few minutes, Zoey reappeared at the top of the stairs.

"She's not here, Daddy."

Jay gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean, sweetie? Is she not in the bedroom?" He spoke as he heard the opening and closing of the doors upstairs. He heard the familiar sliding of his closet door, and that made him assume that she was in after all. Zoey couldn't open the closet door, it was too heavy for her. After another minute, Erin appeared as well.

"Zoey's right, she's gone."

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	12. Chapter 12

"What do you mean, _she's gone_?" Jay made his way up the stairs, taking two at a time in a bid to reach the top as quick as he could. It wasn't that he didn't believe them, the thought of Hannah being gone just wasn't registering in his head. In a way, he had to see for himself. But when he got to the room, he realized they weren't lying.

Hannah's side of the bedroom looked eerily empty: Jay saw her side of the closet was free of clothes and her belongings had disappeared from her make-up counter. It didn't even look as though a woman had occupied the room at all. As he walked further into the room, his finger traced the tops of their drawers, wondering where the hell she had gone. He looked towards the middle of the room, the youngest of his daughters was sitting in the center of the bed looking upset. Jay moved quickly to join her, an attempt to comfort the youngster.

"Zoey, hey," Jay sank onto the bed with his arms spread wide, motioning for her to come close. And she did, her tiny arms unfolding as she crawled to be beside him. Zoey immediately snuggled close to his chest, wrapped her little arms around his neck. Jay began to soothe her, trying his best to offer words of comfort to the four year old. "You're okay, baby."

She wasn't crying, but Jay could tell she was upset. And she had _every_ right to be, seeing the bedroom emptied from Hannah's belongings had to be daunting for her. She had gone extremely quiet, and she refused to let her father go from her grip.

"Where's Mommy?" Zoey eventually released her grip a little and looked at Jay. "Where did she go?"

Jay felt deflated: he _always_ had answers for Zoey and right now he couldn't give her one. "I don't know, pumpkin. But we will find her."

"Did I do something wrong, Daddy?" Zoey whispered, her eyes going wide as she teared. She dropped her eyes low and stared at her knees. Jay heard her sniffle a few times before he tucked a finger under a chin pulling her face back up so they made eye contact.

"Hey pumpkin hey," he kept a finger under her face, stroking her cheek with the side of his thumb. "Of course you didn't. We'll find Mommy." He prayed his words would offer slight comfort because it was the best he could do. Zoey seemed to relax then, and she even gave him a smile. The pair were quiet for a second, before they heard another little voice.

"Zoey? Zoey are you okay?" Daisy appeared around the doorframe, her little face frowning in concern for her friend. She slowly made her way into the room and stood at the side of the bed.

Zoey nodded, jumping down from Jay's knee. She started running in the direction of her own bedroom, Daisy following close behind her. As they furthered along the upstairs hallway, Jay heard them muttering a girly conversation. Then, a giggle. In a way, it brought Jay comfort: the fact that Daisy had the ability to comfort Zoey in an instant.

He only realized the level of anger he felt when the girls had left the room. Jay wasn't an angry person, but he could feel the irritation building up inside of him. He failed to come to terms with the fact Hannah had the audacity to desert her daughter, even him, without any explanation. When they'd argued earlier, he didn't have a clue it would lead to her leaving. And now he had no idea where he was, and he didn't know where to start when it came to finding her.

"Jay, are you okay?" He was totally oblivious at first when Erin appeared at his bedroom door. She hung back, like her daughter had, almost waiting to be welcomed into the room. When he offered her a gentle smile, she took it as a cue to step further into his chamber. Erin padded slowly across the carpet and sat next to him on the edge of the bed. Jay was so quiet that she thought he hadn't heard her. "Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?" She watched as he shook his head, but turned to face her.

"I just, I can't believe her. It's not even about me, I'm pissed about her leaving Zoey like this. She's her _Mom_."

"Maybe you should try calling her. Did you try already?" Erin spoke sympathetically, not wanting to add to his anger.

"I should do that," Jay stood from the bed, remembering his cell was still downstairs. He walked out of the bedroom and Erin followed behind, not wanting to be left alone in his slumber. When she got to the kitchen, she found Jay pacing around the tiles on his cell.

"Hannah? Hannah? Where are you?" His temper was still rising, and his voice was almost a shout. Erin watched gingerly from the side as Jay ran circles around the kitchen table, trying to get answers from the other side of the call. "What do you mean ' _you're leaving_ '?" His face was a total grimace as he stormed around the room. He rubbed at his temples with his free hand. "Listen, I'm not even talking about this morning. You can't abandon your daughter!" After a few more seconds, and in a fit of rage, Jay slammed his cell onto the table. He pulled out a chair and sat on the end of it.

Erin didn't move, Jay seemed tense and she didn't want to make the situation worse so she spoke from the corner. "What did she say?"

"She's with that yoga guy," Jay spoke through gritted teeth, but looked at Erin to reassure her his angry feelings weren't directed towards her. "She just said she needed a few days, but didn't say when or _if_ she was coming back home." He slapped his palm against the table. "Damn it, what do I tell Zoey?"

"Tell her the truth." Erin tiptoes towards him and occupied a chair herself. "Maybe not the whole truth, but tell her she'll be back in a few days." She averted her eyes low to the floor. "Lying to a child- that's not good for anybody."

Jay watched as Erin chewed on the inside of her lip and he knew automatically she wasn't talking theoretically. Even given the situation with his wife, they'd come home to deliver news to the girls. And the longer he and Erin kept the whole situation from them, the more complicated things would get. He realized Erin was speaking sense.

"You're right. I'll tell her.. but we gotta tell them something else, too." As he finished speaking, Erin looked up from the floor again at him. She smiled from one corner of her mouth, realizing what he was getting at.

"Oh God, how do we do this?" Erin suddenly panicked, unsure of how to approach the situation.

Jay rose from the chair, and Erin took a second to do the same. "Relax," He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze and made his way back up the stairs to where the girls were playing. "We've got this." Erin wasn't so sure but she followed his lead to Zoey's bedroom.

When they reached the doorway to Zoey's bedroom, they could already hear the girls in deep conversation. It seemed like Zoey's mind was a million miles away from the thought of her mother's disappearance. Daisy was proving a great distraction. Both children turned to the door when they heard Erin and Jay.

"Daddy," Zoey gave him a welcoming smile, and it was hard to believe she had been so upset not long ago. "Did you come to play with us?"

"Maybe in a little while, pumpkin. Can Erin and I talk to you and Daisy for a sec?" He watched as both girls nodded and moved to sit on her bed, their little legs dangling from the edge. Jay moved to sit at the bottom of their feet on the carpet and Erin followed close behind. She didn't know where he was going to take the conversation but anything he said would be a damn sight better than anything she could come up with. She was glad he was gonna take the lead with it.

Jay seemed to think about how to start the conversation for a quick minute, he twiddled with his thumbs before he looked at the girls who were both staring at him wide eyed, in anticipation of what he was about to discuss with them.

"Daisy," He looked at Erin through the corner of his eyes, she looked sceptical as to where his conversation was headed. "Can you remember what your Mommy told you about your Daddy?" As soon as the words left his lips, he heard Erin take a sharp intake of breath: he realized it perhaps wasn't the most conventional way to lead the chat, but he seemed to have faith in himself. _This was going to work._

Daisy seemed to shift uncomfortably for a second but then she settled. "She told me he would come back to me when he's ready," She sounded so innocent when she spoke, scratching her nose when she'd finished talking. There was a puzzled look upon her face, clearly she was confused as to why this man was asking such a question. "When he's ready," She repeated the last part of her sentence, nodding her head to reinforce what she was saying.

"And what if he's ready now?"

Daisy looked up at Jay, her brow scrunching even further as her confusion heightened. "What do you mean, Mr Jay? Is my Daddy ready to come back to me?" Zoey was echoing her pure confusion, alternating her eyes between her dad and Daisy.

It was Jay's turn to shift uncomfortably, uncrossing his legs and toying with the right words to say. "I… I'm your Daddy." When he looked to where the girls were sitting, it was obvious he was just adding to their confusion. "I'm your Daddy, Zoey. And I'm Daisy's Daddy too."

Zoey's expression changed first, her confusion changing to elation with the realization she had a sister: the very thing she'd always talked about with her parents. She didn't say anything, but she looked excited. Daisy on the other hand didn't, turning to Erin who'd kept quiet while Jay was talking.

"Mommy, is it true?" Daisy still had a frown on her face, perhaps wanting more confirmation from her other parent.

Erin opened and closed her mouth a few times before she spoke, afraid her daughter would somehow put blame onto her or take what they were saying the wrong way. "Yes, Jay's your Daddy-"

"No!" Daisy threw herself from the bed in a second, running from the room away from her parents and sibling. Neither of the others moved as they listened to her little feet running down the stairs. The revelation had clearly taken a toll on the little girl, and Erin moved to follow her down the stairs.

Jay stood from the floor and reached for Erin. "I'll go. I need to sort this." He offered her a smile as he overtook her stance and exited the room. Erin nodded, collapsing back against the wall to lean on it. Perhaps it was better for Jay to try and talk to Daisy, it would be the start of a relationship she wanted them to have. Erin shoved her hair behind her head and looked at Zoey. The little girl was still positioned on the bed, looking towards the open door. She turned towards Erin.

"So my Daddy is Daisy's Daddy?"

Erin exhaled deep, it was a relief that Zoey hadn't taken the news as badly. She looked to be just inquisitive, wanting to know more about what she'd just been told. Erin walked slowly towards her and sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to intrude on Zoey's space in case she was still unsure of Erin's role in this.

"Yes sweetie, Daisy is your sister." She didn't realize how much the situation had affected her until she heard the shakiness in her own voice. It was a struggle to keep together her emotions in front of the little girl.

Zoey was quiet for a little while, but still looking at Erin. She seemed to sense that the lady was tense and she crawled from the center of the bed to sit with Erin. She took one of Erin's hand and put it in the middle of her own tiny two. "Why are you crying, Erin?"

Erin had attempted to keep her emotions at bay but the revelations today combined with just how sweet Zoey was being made her fall apart. The tears first threatened in the corners of her eyes and they eventually turned into soft sobs as they fell down her face. Zoey tried her best to wipe them away. "Don't cry Erin, don't cry!" Though she was attempting to offer comfort, Zoey still seemed curious. "So did you love my Daddy before he met my Mommy?"

"Yes Zoey, I guess I did. I think I still _do,_ " Erin wiped the tears herself with the back of her hand, not wanting to have Zoey see her cry so much.

* * *

Jay found Daisy sitting on the bottom step, her knees tucked up to her chest and her face buried in there. He didn't know to approach her at first; he'd never been there when she'd cried before, whenever she'd been upset. He didn't know the best way to comfort her. When he reached the step she was occupying, he sat down himself.

"Daisy-" He didn't get an answer at first, she didn't respond. Not that he blamed her after the bombshell he'd just dropped. He'd half expected her to burst into tears in the bedroom. "Daisy, hey."

Eventually she looked up. In Jay's mind she'd never looked more like her Mom: her eyes were sparkling, with the small tears that loomed in the corners. Jay noticed that she wasn't crying, but she seemed to be close. The expression on her face reminded him solely of a mini Erin, and seeing such an expression made his heart ache. He reached cautiously with his hand to lift her head from her knees. "Daisy-"

"Why did you go away from me then Mr Jay? If you are my Daddy?" Daisy had a pouty lip, and she scowled a little as she spoke but Jay couldn't blame her. He just needed to give her the best answers he could right now. But the words he wanted to say wouldn't resonate with a four year old, so he eased his expression.

"Because I didn't know you were going to be you, Daisy. If I had known I promise I would have never left you. _Never_." Jay put emphasis on his phrases in order for his words to register in her mind. He didn't want to make himself out to be a bad person, but at the same time tried to acknowledge that he hadn't been there for the first years of her life. He reached to wrap an arm around her and to his surprise, she didn't back away. It was as though she was believing what he was saying and she seemed to calm down. Which Jay was glad about, because he didn't think he could handle it if she started to sob.

"What about my Mommy? So is it Mommy's fault for not telling you?" She stared at the floor again, and whispered her questions so timidly that Jay had to strain to listen. "Did Mommy not tell you?"

"Daisy," Jay squeezed her tighter, and she seemed to settle in his embrace. "Nothing is your Mommy's fault, please don't ever think that." He stood from the steps and held out a hand for her. "Shall we go back and see your Mommy? I bet your sister really wants to play with you," She nodded shyly and placed her hand in his own. Jay saw a smile spread across her face too, it was almost as though she'd finally had the realization that her new best friend was her sister.

The bedroom was quiet when they reached it, but the two girls being reunited changed that. Daisy ran over to Zoey and hugged her tight. Jay looked at them and finally saw the similarities between the two; there were just certain little things about them that he'd overlooked. It just all looked so apparent now, and it made his heart tingle as he saw them together.

Zoey's mind seemed to be far from the disappearance of her mother and he didn't want to change that. He looked over at Erin, signalling for them to leave the girls to play for a while. When they reached the outside of the room, he looked at her face and realized she'd been crying.

"Hey," his hand unconsciously travelled to the side of her cheek and caressed it, but his hand dropped when he realized he didn't have the right to do such a thing. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Erin laughed softly, it was almost music to Jay's ears. He was so used to hearing the sound of her crying that he'd forgotten what she sounded like when she laughed. "Zoey is quite the therapist." She turned further towards him. "What are you going to do about Hannah?"

Jay exhaled. "Nothing right now. It seems she's having too much fun with the yoga guy…" He'd meant it humorously but Erin didn't laugh. He tried to look at the situation with jest, knowing that if he really thought about Hannah, the anger would boil up inside of him again. If she really was with the yoga guy that meant their relationship was practically over. And, if it was over, he wanted to put his wife to the back of his mind. As long as the situation wasn't bothering Zoey, Hannah didn't need to be part of the conversation.

"How was your talk with Daisy?"

Jay smiled. "Actually way better than I expected. I thought she was going to take all that little anger out on me but it was alright in the end. I think we're going to be okay."

Erin nodded her head as she felt more tears well in her eyes. Now that Daisy knew, she still felt so bad for keeping them apart for the first four years of her life. "You have no idea how happy that makes me. Jay-"

He took a step towards her, taking her shoulders in his grip. "Erin," his thumbs rubbed the bare skin of her arms, he wasn't sure how much comfort it would bring her but he was sure as hell going to try. "No more tears okay? I can't bear to see you cry anymore. Please,"

Jay felt like he shouldn't but he had the overwhelming desire to just pull her close. That had to be a way to show her that he wasn't angry, he wasn't upset right now he was just God damn relieved that they all knew now. So, he did. He stretched his arms around her tiny frame, pressing her body against his own. It was kind of a sense of comfort for himself too, he didn't want to be alone. For a second he thought she would back away but she didn't, and like her daughter had done she turned to mush in his grip. The hallway was quiet for a moment before Erin broke the silence.

"I think I should go." Erin drew away slightly but Jay didn't relax his hold so her voice was kind of muffled.

"I think you should stay." He spoke into her hair, refusing to let her go just yet. It was too important an embrace to ruin, she was what he needed in the moment. "Come on, the girls are happy anyway. We could just watch a movie or something? I'll drop you home later."

Erin didn't need any persuasion and followed him down the hallway to the lounge. Before Erin and Jay had a chance to choose a movie, they heard footsteps running down the stairway. Then two little faces appeared around the doorframe.

"What are you doing Daddy?" Zoey skipped into the room, Daisy following close behind her.

"Daddy and Erin were just gonna watch a movie. What are you girls up to?" His eyes altered between his two daughters, and they both seemed content. Which was the best thing in Jay's eyes, he imagined the news they'd broken earlier to go down much worse than it had done. Daisy even offered him a smile as he spoke, making him even more optimistic.

"Can we join Daddy?" Zoey asked, not waiting for an answer and making herself comfortable on the couch.

"Well I guess that ruled out the PG-13's," Jay muttered to Erin. "What should we watch girls?"

"Frozen! Frozen!" the two girls shouted in union, and Jay groaned. He'd probably been subjected to that movie more times than anybody he knew. Deep down though, he knew he wasn't going to be able to change Zoey's mind. And if Daisy was anything like her, he had no chance against them.

"Then I guess we're watching Frozen." He rolled his eyes at Erin, and she seemed to return his expression but smiled afterwards. At least they could suffer together.

Jay set the TV and then sat at his end of the couch, with the girls in between and Erin at the opposite end. He let the movie play, finding himself unconsciously (and embarrassingly) singing along to the movie. As the movie progressed, he stole glances along the couch. Zoey was next to him, engrossed at the sight of the princesses on the screen. Daisy was next to her, opening and closing her mouth in time to the lyrics of the songs and pulling the most hilarious facial expressions whenever something happened on the screen. Erin was at the other end of the couch, looking as absorbed in the movie as the little girls were. She would smile when they would, laugh when they would and pretend to be scared when they would. He stole more glances at Erin than he did the little ones, and he tried to make it less obvious than it probably was.

As much as he hated to admit it, Hannah was right at the back of his mind. He was still majorly pissed that she'd upped and left. He wasn't the slightest bit bothered about himself, it was the fact she hadn't said anything to Zoey and he was left to pick up the pieces. Thankfully she hadn't expressed too much upset, and he had Erin and Daisy to thank for that. Whether he was going to admit it to himself or not, _he_ was secretly overjoyed they were here too.


	13. Chapter 13

The next few days, for Jay, passed by in a flash. Soon he found himself in the same routine: waking up, making breakfast for himself and Zoey, then taking her to school and heading to work himself. Luckily for him, Hank had went easy once he'd brought him up to date with his new situation. He'd also made arrangements with Erin to watch over the two girls, at least until he finished with his Detective duties. Then, he would head over to her place and pick up the youngest of his daughters, all the while still trying to bond with the other one. There was still friction between the two, and he thought that was to be expected. But he was working on it, and was determined to create the same bond between himself and Daisy as the one he had going with Zoey.

It wasn't an ideal situation for Jay, considering he still didn't see as much of Daisy as he wanted to but it was the best that could happen for now. At least he was able to see her practically on a daily basis, so she became familiar with him, and being around him. Jay didn't let himself admit it, but it felt good to spend so much time with Erin, too. He could see what a great job she'd done with bringing up Daisy, she was a great Mom. And she'd done well at playing the role for both little girls considering the whereabouts of his wife.

He still hadn't heard much from Hannah. She'd called a couple of times to speak to Zoey, but other than that he was still clueless on her whereabouts and if or when she was planning to come home. If he brought up the question of where she was, and even if he made conversation with her in the slightest, she'd choose to hang up the phone. She rang only intent on speaking to Zoey. It sometimes shocked him that his marriage had ended so abruptly; it felt like only a few weeks ago when he was in a blissful family home. Now he was feeling the pressures of trying to handle the role of both parents, even though Erin was helping as much as she could.

Jay was also working on keeping the promise to renovate Erin's home. Though he had other thoughts in the forefront of his mind, he realized she couldn't keep living in a house that wasn't even half decorated. In his spare time, he did what he could and that gave the girls further opportunity to spend time with each other. Both Daisy and Zoey seemed to relish in each other's company, and seeing them together was one of Jay's new favorite things. They shared most of the same interests like most little girls do, but to Jay it felt more than that. It was perfect to see them growing together.

So on his free days and days when he wasn't at work, he would either be working on Erin's house or spending time with both of his daughters. The majority of the time, it was to work on the house. For the coming weeks in the work schedule, Saturdays were his day off. They slowly became his favorite day of the week: although he loved his job, his personal time was important.

"Pancakes Daddy, pancakes!"

His mornings off also started with Zoey's demands for breakfast. For a little while, she'd become clingy towards him and it was hard to distinguish whether it was because of her mother's disappearance or because she now had to share her father. Whatever it was, he always received more hugs than he did before.

"Here you go, Zo!" Though pancakes were supposed to be a treat, he always found himself giving in to her requests. The way she batted her eyelids and smiled at him melted his insides and he gave her what she wanted. Jay put the breakfast on her favorite dish and placed it in front of her. He took the seat next to her at the table and watched as her little fingers struggled with the knife and fork. "Here, let me cut them up for you."

"No I can do it!" Zoey said with a cute look of concentration on her face. She scraped away at food until she pulled little bits apart. "See!"

Jay laughed, watching as she pushed the scraps on her fork and shovelled them into her mouth.

"What are we doing today, Daddy?" She spoke with a mouth full of food, sprays of batter spilling through the gaps of her baby teeth. Once she realized, her eyes went wide and she put a hand across her mouth.

Jay struggled to hold in his laughter. "What did Daddy tell you about speaking with food in your mouth?" He grabbed a napkin and wiped the corners of her mouth. "Plus, you know what we're doing today! Did you forget what day it is?"

Zoey expressed a look of confusion for a second before she realized the day. She clapped her hands together in excitement. "Oh Saturday Daddy, its Saturday! Does that mean I get to go to Erin's house?"

When he gave her a nod of his head, she smiled at him.

"Oh yay, I go and put my clothes on!" Zoey wiped away the remaining crumbs on her face and jumped from the table. Jay watched as she ran from the room, hearing the little thumps of her feet as she sprinted to the upper level of the house. He slowly got up himself, putting their breakfast bowls into the dish washer. He followed suit of Zoey up the stairs, needing to get ready himself.

Once he was out of the shower, he towel-dried his hair and chose clothes from the closet. He fully intended to work on Erin's house today, opting for a pair of old jeans and a shirt. He quickly sprayed himself with a dash of cologne and then made his way across the hallway to Zoey's bedroom.

"Are you ready, pumpkin?"

"You bet, Daddy!" Zoey had opted for a dress and leggings and Jay was rather impressed. Given that she was only four years old, she had quite the sense of style and she seemed to have grown in front of his eyes, even more so since Hannah had gone. He didn't know if Erin had had some input whilst she'd been spending time with her, but Zoey was growing into a little character. He moved towards her and scooped her with ease into his arms. Whilst he carried her down the stairs, she giggled with delight and hung her arms around his neck.

Jay brought her out to the car and strapped her in the booster. It didn't take them much time to get to Erin's house, Jay knew the route almost like the back of his hand now. When they reached her driveway, he pulled up the car next to hers. Zoey knew her surroundings by now, getting excited even before she was out of her booster. Jay wanted more than anything to echo in her excitement, but kept it to himself.

He carried Zoey out of the car and she ran off in front of him to push the buzzer. Jay smiled at her enthusiasm, the thought had crossed his mind that maybe she would get sick of doing almost the same thing each Saturday. Whether it had or not, she didn't show it in her face and she always looked excited to be at Erin's.

Erin had opened the door before he reached it. She was dressed just in sweats, her long shirt covering the tops of her leggings and her hair pulled back into a messy bun. When he reached the entrance to her house, Erin was bent to Zoey's level and giving her a greeting.

"Hey Zoey!" Erin pulled the little girl close in her embrace. Spending time with one another had meant the pair were getting closer. Erin knew of course she wasn't Daisy's mom but she would try and be there for her whilst Hannah was absent. "How are you?"

"I'm okay!" Zoey struggled against Erin's arms and it was clear she just wanted to go inside to see Daisy. Even though they saw one another in school, their weekends seemed to be special. She eventually ran free leaving Erin at the door with Jay.

"Hey," Erin stood up again raising herself to normal level. "You should come in." She stepped back further into the hallway, giving Jay access to the house. He followed her quietly inside.

Jay was glad things weren't awkward between them anymore. Now that they didn't have secrets anymore things were easier and he was enjoying Erin's company more than ever. He watched as she led them through into the lounge, her hands swinging slightly at her sides. The two girls were already in there at the back of the room where Daisy kept her toys. The sound of footsteps entering through the door caused them both to turn around and temporarily leave the game they were playing. Daisy peered round the back of where Zoey was sitting.

"Hi," Daisy looked directly at Jay and waved at him. He waved back and smiled at her.

"Hey Dais," He'd noticed that she was yet to call him by the 'D' word, but it had only been a short period of time and he didn't expect it right away. He still looked forward to it happening though, if it ever did. "What are you girls up to?"

"We're playing Mommies and babies!" Zoey chirped, holding up one of Daisy's dolls for her father to see. "Did you want to play with us?"

Jay laughed at first then grimaced, shielding it from the girls and hoping they didn't see. "I think me and Erin have some work to do," He watched as the girls turned away and continued their game. "But maybe later?" He wasn't sure if they heard him though, their faces already engrossed in playing with the toys. He turned back towards Erin who was still standing at the door, leaning against the wood. "Come on then, what are we doing today?"

"We," Erin grinned at him and left the room, signalling for Jay to follow her. "Are gonna work on my room."

Jay shadowed her movements up the stairs, turning left at the top so they reached the door of her room. His feet almost bounced on the carpet that ran the length of the stairs and hallway. That had been the first thing they'd worked on, and now it was finished. Jay had funny flashbacks of himself carried the now laid carpet into the house: it had been a struggle and apparently Erin had found it hilarious. He was just super glad the hardest bits were complete. Now the work was going into the individual rooms of the house. Erin swung the door open and walked into the room.

"The paint is right here," Erin pointed into the corner where there were two large tins. Erin had already prepared the room, old sheets covering her bed and her furniture.

Erin reached down to open one of them causing Jay to study her carefully as her body bent at the hip. The back of her sweatshirt lifted as she leaned, not enough to reveal anything except the waist line of her leggings. Jay felt sinful for looking but it pained him to look away. He couldn't help himself catching a glimpse of the way her clothes treated her body. When she turned around to hand him a paintbrush, he shook himself of the thoughts.

"Here," she laughed "We better get to work." Erin moved slowly towards one of the walls, dipping the brush into the tin and then making gentle stroke along the surface. Jay walked over to join her,

"You'll have to do up here, and around the window." Erin pointed to the highest levels of the room. "I can't reach."

"Sure," Jay moved closer to the wall, a bid to stretch as far as he could to paint the top. The walls of the house were high, and even he couldn't extend himself to the level of the ceiling. "Do you have a ladder?"

The fact Erin stared at the floor and avoided eye contact told him his answer. Jay couldn't help but laugh, _of course she didn't have a ladder._

He had a sort of idea to paint the upper level, but Erin would probably think he was crazy. A smirk spread across his face.

"Do you trust me?"

Erin frowned at him, clearly confused as to why he'd ask such a random question. Still she found herself answering truthfully. "Sure," Her tone was inquisitive. "Why-"

Jay threw his paintbrush onto the carpet cover and moved to lift Erin onto his shoulders. She practically squealed as he did so when she realized what he was doing.

"Jay! What are you do-" Erin struggled to balance on his shoulders, struggling to stay still as she laughed.

"Stop wriggling, will you?" Jay uttered, but he was laughing too. He placed a firm grip on both of her thighs to stop her from falling backwards or off his shoulders. "There," he smiled at his idea, even though Erin couldn't see his face. "Now we can reach." Jay walked nearer to the wall, allowing Erin to stretch up and reach the top of the wall. He felt his clutch on her legs tighten as her torso elevated closer to the ceiling.

Jay was pretty sure they looked like a circus act, him parading her around the room on his shoulders and her armed with a paintbrush. Although it was actually a working technique, both of them found the situation hilarious. It didn't take them much time to spread the first coat and soon the room was a light shade of grey.

When the whole of the walls were covered, Jay gently lowered Erin back onto the ground. He hesitated to let her go but watched as she stood again on the carpet. She turned around to face him then let her eyes travel around her bedroom.

"Perfect," she turned back to face him. "Shall we go and have lunch?"

"Sure," He followed her out of the room again, back downstairs to where the girls were. Erin's intentions seemed clear as she turned to the lounge instead of the kitchen. The girls were bound to be hungry, too.

Jay watched as Erin came to a stop at the door, not walking any further into the room but leaning against the door again and smiling. She seemed to be taking in the scene before she interrupted. When Jay reached Erin's position, he watched the two girls playing as well. They just seemed so content in each other's company and the adults spent minutes watching them.

"Are you girls hungry?" Erin finally interrupted the scene as she walked further towards Daisy and Zoey. "Did you want some lunch?"

"Oh yes please Mommy!" Daisy was the first to speak up, and she stood to walk towards Erin. "What are we having?"

"How about sandwiches?" Erin made herself sound enthusiastic, and the idea of lunch seemed to appeal to the girls. The four of them went into the kitchen. Zoey and Daisy climbed up onto the seats of the table, waiting patiently for their food. Jay leaned himself against the counter and watched as Erin made their lunch. "Can you grab me the butter?"

"Sure," Jay strode in the direction of the fridge and pulled out what Erin wanted. "Do you girls want some juice too?"

"Yes please Daddy!" He knew Zoey wouldn't object, she loved the stuff.

"Yes please D-" Daisy began to speak then stopped herself. "Yes please."

Erin and Jay both looked at each other, clearly both thinking the same thing. Both thinking she'd almost copied Zoey's comments. Then she'd stopped herself, perhaps not feeling ready to say it. But the word had almost left her lips, and they'd both bared witness to it. Erin smiled at Jay softly before turning to the girls and giving them lunch. She'd made one for Jay too, pushing a plate in front of him. They moved to occupy the seats opposite the girls, and all four ate their food.

Zoey and Daisy finished within seconds of each other, and before the parents- clearly they'd been hungry.

"That was so yummy Mommy!"

"Yes thank you Erin, that was yummy!"

They both asked to be excused and ran through to the other room to continue playing. Erin and Jay were left sitting at the table. She moved to clear the dishes and then leaned against the counter.

"So thank you for today." She folded her arms across her chest, looking at him. "I kinda feel like I should be paying you for this."

Jay turned in his chair to face her. "Stop it. You don't have to pay me. I said I'd help you. I don't want any money from you Er." It had been a while since he'd referred to her with her nickname, but it felt right to do it. He didn't want a cent from her, he actually wanted to do the job and getting to spend time with the two of them was a bonus.

"I feel like I'm taking up all your free time with this though-"

"Will you stop? I wouldn't have agreed to help you if I didn't _want_ to help you. Plus I get to see Daisy, and you know how much that means to me." Jay offered her a smile and she returned it. He was beginning to think that his thoughts were registering with her finally, and he wouldn't still have to convince her that this was something he wanted to do.

Erin chewed on her lip. "I've been thinking about going back to work."

That somehow came as a surprise to him. "Yeah? Back to the unit?"

"I don't know," she averted her eyes. "Maybe? But perhaps not full-time. I could start with one day a week or something? That way, I could still look after the girls."

Jay nodded. "Have you spoken to Ha-"

"I wanted to talk to you about it first. I needed to make sure that me maybe coming back was okay with you."

He scoffed. "Why wouldn't it be okay Er?"

"Because I haven't been there in so long. The unit has probably _changed._ I've _changed_. I don't want to intrude on whatever is going on there now."

"Oh God Erin, are you kidding? I'm sure everybody would love to have you back. I'd like it if you came back," _Love, why didn't you say love God damn it?_ "You were my _partner_ ,"

"I know." Erin didn't elaborate on the topic any more, and Jay took it as a sign that she wanted no further conversation on it. She turned around to brew a coffee. "Do you want one?"

"I'm okay, thank you."

She nodded in response and turned back to him. "I have something to ask you."

Her tone had took a turn and Jay couldn't place what the hell she was about to say. "Sure, what is it?"

"So I was wondering if Daisy could stay with you next weekend? Next Friday maybe?"

Jay didn't have a problem with it. "Of course, will she be okay with me though? You know, since we told her I don't know if she'll be okay without you there."

"Jay, she'll be okay. She loves to spend time with Zoey, it'll be fine." She was offering her sense of reassurance but Jay wasn't yet convinced. Daisy sometimes seemed on edge around him and it would take a little while to fix that.

He didn't want to seem unsure so he nodded. "You're right," He decided to tease. "What, you got a hot date or something?"

He'd meant it as a joke but by the look on her face it looked to be true. She turned around slowly to look at him and Jay could see that she was already turning pink. It was the first awkward moment between the two in a while.

"It's nothing like that," She started to get flustered, not feeling comfortable with talking about this sort of situation with him. "It's just one of the parents from school, he just asked me if I wanted to go for a drink with him." By the end, she was almost rambling as though she felt she had to make up excuses in front of him.

"Stop it," Jay sensed the nervousness in her tone. "Relax, you don't have to explain yourself. It doesn't have anything to do with me," He said the words, even though they were _not_ what he was feeling inside. "Of course I'll take Daisy, that's no problem." He finished by changing the topic back to their daughter, feeling uncomfortable with discussing Erin's dating life. It was a completely separate part of her life than the one she shared with him, but he still found himself not wanting to discuss it. Did he feel slightly uneasy because he'd eaten lunch too quickly? Or was it the very thought of Erin with somebody else? Was this how she'd felt when he was with Hannah? Whatever it was, he needed to push the emotion to the back of his mind. It didn't bare thinking about.

Jay got up from the table, and leaned towards her, "Okay, what's next?" He was referring to the jobs within the house but he pointed upstairs in case she didn't get what he was meaning.

"You've done enough work for me today, my bedroom's almost done. You don't have to do anymore this afternoon Jay, why don't we do something else?" She'd noticed the tension that had built in the room, wondering if it had come from the conversation they'd just had. She was scared it had had an effect on him because that was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want to make things awkward between them again, that couldn't happen. Erin fought to get the situation back to a relaxed level.

"Come on, should we go out somewhere? Take the girls to the park?"

"You could ask them, I think they seem content with playing though. Are you sure you didn't want anything else doing today? It's only 1, I have lots of time to kill." He was back to sounding like himself but Erin still wasn't convinced by his tone. He smiled at her but she noticed it didn't reach his eyes, if anything he looked blank. He clearly wasn't going to say anything on the matter though.

"We made a great start on my room. What's up with you, are you okay?" If she didn't bring it up into conversation, she thought she would regret it. She realized now how close they were both standing at the counter, her body almost invading his personal space. Erin let her eyes travel around his face, she hadn't looked at him properly today, not the way she liked to. She liked to allow herself to scan his features, her eyes starting at the bottom of his face and finally meeting with his eyes. The look behind his eyes pained her, she sensed that something wasn't right. Of course she knew something wasn't right, his wife had deserted him and his daughter for the moment and she _knew_ it was affecting him more than he was letting her know. She didn't want to push it though, so waited to see what he would reply.

Jay shook his head, dismissing her question. "What, yeah I'm good." He seemed to be taking time to look at her too, cocking his head to the side and chewing on his lower lip. Her hair had mostly fallen out while they'd been working, there was hardly any of her "bun" left in the hair tie. Jay moved his right hand towards her face, pushing back a lose curl that had fallen forward onto her face. He tucked it behind her ear, his fingers coming into contact first with the back of her ear piercing and then the warmth of her skin. It felt tender underneath his touch and suddenly brought back so many memories for him. He was still looking into her eyes when he felt a tug at his trouser leg.

"Daddy, can you come and play with us now?" Zoey was looking up at him, part of the look on her face being confusion at the scene she'd just walked in on. "We don't have to play dollies I promise!" She held out her tiny hand for Jay to hold on to and both adults laughed as they walked through into the lounge.

When they got there, they couldn't help but smile. The girls had used the pillows and blankets from the toy-box to build themselves a play fort. They'd done a good job of balancing everything together and Jay and Erin watched as Zoey and Daisy both climbed inside.

"Come and join us!" Daisy was the one that spoke now, ushering her Mom and Dad inside.

Erin climbed in first, followed by Jay and they were both cautious not to knock any of the blankets off. It was a squash for them all to fit inside, the two adults practically sitting on top of each other. It only caused them to laugh though, the fact that Zoey and Daisy had coaxed them into such a tiny space.

"Girls, this is so cool," Jay looked around, the best he could at the girls' masterpiece. They'd brought several teddies in with them, to them making it look homely.

"I like it!" Erin shared in their enthusiasm, trying to make herself comfortable but really curling in on herself on one of the cushions.

* * *

Before Jay even registered how long they'd spent in the fort he realized it was dark outside. The room got dark really quickly, and Jay struggled to see the time on his watch. He strained his eyes to see how long they'd been playing in the fort: it was long after 5pm now and Jay knew he had to be getting Zoey home soon. He didn't want to hurry to leave but at the same time, knew he wouldn't if he didn't.

"Come on Zoey, it's home time." He started to move out of the fort, it proved a struggle because of the little space inside. He worked his way out backwards, and the others chose to follow.

Jay waited by the door as Zoey put on her shoes and said goodbye to her sister. He watched quietly as they hugged each other and then Zoey hugged Erin's legs.

"Bye-bye." She waved her farewell as she walked out of the door after Jay. He scooped her into his arms then turned back to the door.

"I'll see you through the week probably but if I don't, I'll come and pick up Daisy Friday?" he grinned at Erin, the last thing he wanted was for anything to be awkward between them, like the brief moment in the kitchen.

"Sure," she paused to look down at her own daughter, who had her arms wrapped around Erin's legs. Erin gently stroked her hair. "I'll see you two soon."

Daisy was quiet, but she blew them a quick kiss as they walked further down the driveway.

Zoey had fallen asleep by the time Jay reached home, something he was used to since they'd started spending time at Erin's. She always seemed to be exhausted, but luckily for Jay he didn't have much effort to put into bedtime. He carried her out of the car, and unlocked the front door.

He'd just made it through the front door when he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Still with Zoey in his arms, he wandered cautiously through the hallway and pushed gently on the door.

Jay frowned slightly when he looked into the room.

"Oh, evening." Hannah turned slowly from the chair she was occupying, looking Jay square in the face. She had a sickly look upon hers, and Jay wanted to look away instantly. He didn't know what to say, he had no _words_ to say. He couldn't even be sure if this was just a fleeting visit from her, considering he was totally unsure of her whereabouts the past week.

As he looked at her, the smell of alcohol hit him in the face. He took a step back, his protective grip around Zoey tightening automatically as he did so. He was still glaring at her, his eyes wide but his brow furrowed.

He spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm putting Zoey to bed. Then we can talk."

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	14. Chapter 14

Jay prolonged his time putting Zoey to bed for as long as possible. The fact that Hannah was now downstairs angered him, she'd been gone for a week and he still had little explanation for where she had been. She wouldn't even speak to him on the phone, only requesting conversations with their daughter whenever she'd called his cell. He thought about the situation as he struggled to get his sleeping four year old into her pyjamas without waking her.

The talk that was going to follow could go either one of two ways: they'd manage to figure out a way to sort this, or they'd end up arguing. Jay prayed it would be the first option, he felt exhausted and wasn't in the mood for a dispute. Still, he felt like he deserved answers though: where had she been and why had she chosen to come back now? She'd been the last thing he'd expected to see when he'd returned from Erin's.

He pulled back Zoey's comforter and settled her in the middle of the mattress. She turned towards the wall as Jay pulled the blankets over her small body. Her breathing was heavy, telling her father she was already out for the night. Now he had no excuses but to go back downstairs and face his wife.

She was sitting in the same position he'd left her, and her back was to him as he re-entered the kitchen. He slowly made his way around her and sat at the chair opposite. Jay waited for her to start talking, he didn't have a clue what to say himself.

"Where have you been?" Hannah asked as she avoided eye contact with him.

He was at a loss for words, did she really have the right to question him on where he'd been tonight, given she'd been absent for the past week? Jay stared at her blankly, realizing she didn't think she'd said anything wrong.

"What do you mean where have _I_ been? Don't' you think we should start with you?" He wasn't used to being confrontational with Hannah, but he felt like he deserved the answers.

She sighed. "I handled it badly, I know. I know me leaving wasn't a good move for Zoey." She paused and watched as Jay raised his eyebrows as if to say _"You think?"_ "I just went to _his_ house for a while," Hannah stood from the chair she'd occupied and moved towards the fridge. "Where were you tonight, I've been waiting here a while for you."

Jay noticed the situation wasn't as tense as he'd expected, and she didn't seem as angry as he thought she would be. There was no point in lying to her. "We were at Erin's," He waited to see if she was gonna provide a reaction but Hannah remained quiet. If he was doing the whole telling the truth thing, there was no point in keeping anything from her. "We… we told the girls they're sisters."

Hannah shut the fridge door with a loud thud and he noticed she'd grabbed herself a beer. Jay cringed, thinking it was so loud that it might have woken their daughter. "Oh you two did, did you? I bet that went down well with Zoey," Hannah's tone had turned, and she scowled at him from where she was standing. It was almost as though the Erin topic had drastically changed her mood and she'd gone from being calm to being extremely tense.

He wasn't sure what she was getting at, but Hannah was beginning to piss him off. Before she'd left, he'd already attempted the apology for sleeping with Erin but he was no way going to apologize for it resulting in another child. He was growing to love her and know her as much as he did Zoey. The fact that himself and Erin telling the girls had gone so smoothly obviously didn't register well with Hannah. If she was starting to get to him already, he decided to stretch the truth a little.

"It went down so well, the girls are the best of friends. Like they were before but now they know they're sisters, they just have this bond." Jay looked over to Hannah, she looked like she was pretending not to listen. "It's great to see them together."

His wife was leaning back against the fridge, her arms folded against her chest. He watched as her look changed from a frown to a sympathetic one and her brow softened. She didn't make an attempt to join him again at the table, speaking from where she was standing.

"That's great Jay, I'm happy for you." Hannah unscrewed the top of the beer bottle and took a swig. He watched her reaction as the alcohol flowed into her system, he kinda hadn't expected her to say such a thing. Jay was more prepared for the conversation to take a worse turn, visioning them shouting at one another. He was glad the situation was currently amicable, and he prayed it would stay that way.

In a way, he felt sorry for her. Even if he'd deleted the event from memory, he was the one who had cheated first. And that only caused her to do the same. "Hannah-" He started by saying her name, then realized he didn't know exactly what to say. He was somewhat thankful that she interrupted.

"Were you in love with her?"

The question caught him off guard. "What?"

" _Erin_ ," The name fell from her mouth and Jay knew it pained her to say it. "Before me and you met. Were you in love with her?"

"I.. I don't know."

"You're lying." She unfolded her crossed arms stance and pointed at his face with a finger. "You did the nose twitch thing, that's what you do when you're lying."

"Hannah-"

"Jay, I see the way you look at her. It's kind of obvious that two should have been together from the beginning. Obviously I'm glad you weren't because you gave me Zoey. But she deserves to know, if you feel that way about her."

Jay thought about switching off and ignoring her but she was bound to keep talking until he said something. But words didn't come to him, and he just sat staring at her. He wasn't sure how long they were there in an eerie silence, but he suddenly heard a car horn from outside.

"That's R- that's my ride," Hannah came to life again, rushing around the kitchen. "I'm staying with him Jay, just for a little while. I'll be in touch with you so I can see Zoey." She touched his arm as she left the room. "We'll sort this, everything will be fine." Again, Jay could smell alcohol on her body, but it was weird that she didn't seem drunk. He'd have to make sure that smell wasn't around his daughter though, and he'd tell her that.

"She misses you," Jay stood himself now, watching as she made her way to the door. "So you better be sticking around."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere," Hannah spoke without turning around but he didn't struggle to hear her. "Bye Jay."

He didn't move until he heard the door close, he'd prevented himself from running into the lounge and staring through the window to see what her "ride" looked like. Hell, he was a yoga instructor so he was bound to be fit but whatever. Jay reached across the counter to retrieve the dregs of beer Hannah had left. It was only when he was alone again that he thought about what she'd said.

 _I see the way you look at her._

What did she even mean? He wasn't aware that he looked at Erin in any particular way, but if Hannah had picked up on it then maybe it was true, Sure he'd found himself staring at Erin when he'd been at her house but he'd fought so damn hard to push those thoughts out of his mind. There was no way he was allowed to look at her the way he wanted to, not any more. It bothered him that he was still capable of looking at Erin in such a light, even when he didn't have the right to.

Jay couldn't deny the fact that he and Erin had been getting along well since she'd told him the truth. But that didn't mean all of his feeling he'd once had for her had come flooding back, did it? He managed to shake everything, at least he thought he managed, from his mind and headed up to his bedroom. Given the fact he'd spent the day painting then came home to a rough conversation with his wife, he felt exhausted.

* * *

He didn't need an alarm clock when he lived with a four year old. Jay awoke on Sunday morning to two hands wrapped around his face. Although he loved that Zoey was like a personal alarm, he sometimes regretted that he hadn't put locks on the bedroom doors.

It helped that she made his bed feel less empty though. Even though he and Hannah were in no position to share a bed anymore, it felt weird that he was in such a large bed alone.

"Morning Daddy!" Zoey was already full of energy and Jay wondered just how early it was. He couldn't recall what time he'd eventually fallen asleep and his eyes still felt practically glued together. He couldn't keep them closed for much longer, though. "Daddy, Daddy wake up!"

"Hi, pumpkin!" He gave her as much enthusiasm he had in the morning, turning to the side to check the time on his watch. He was relieved to see it was just after 8am: that was an impressive lie-in for Zoey. She must have been tired and slept all the way through. When he'd realized the time, he turned back to her and pulled her into a bear hug. "Did you sleep good?"

"I did I did!" Zoey wriggled free from his grip, too full of energy to lie down for cuddles this morning. "What are we doing today, Daddy?"

Jay groaned, knowing he had to call into the District to catch up on his paperwork. "We have to call to Daddy's work for a while." Zoey usually didn't mind accompanying him to work, but he didn't like her there in the work environment. The District wasn't a place he wanted Zoey to hang out, even though she was practically best friends with his unit, he thought a station wasn't the best place for her to be.

"Awesome Daddy! I'm gonna get ready," She climbed down from his bed back towards her own room.

He hadn't meant they had to go this second but Zoey had took it that way. He did think though, the quicker they were done there they had the rest of their Sunday to spare. Jay dragged himself from the warmth of his bed and walked across the hallway to the bathroom. He took a quick shower then shaved at the sink. He didn't anticipate staying at the District for too long, knowing he would be back into action properly tomorrow. The weekends were supposed to be his personal time, but alas he found himself dedicated to his job and he didn't want to fall behind.

Jay chose clothes from the closet and it took him a further five minutes to be ready. He called out to Zoey then heard her running along the hallway.

"Coming Daddy, I'm ready!" She jumped into his bedroom, dressed in jeans and a blue jacket. He smiled, knowing she always liked to wear blue when they visited his workplace. Zoey had taken to making the patrol men her 'friends' and she saw that they wore blue. She waited by the door as Jay picked up his cell and his badge, just in case. "Chicago blue, right Daddy?"

Jay laughed at her as they walked down the stairs. "Yes, Zo!"

It somehow felt like a while since he'd been at the District when in reality it was two days ago. It was perhaps because of his busy Saturday that work had dropped from the front of his mind. He soon parked the car and watched as Zoey ran up the steps of the District.

She hadn't visited in a while so he was surprised she remembered her way around the building. After she politely waved at the serving desk sergeant, she skipped towards the stairs that led to the Intelligence Unit. Zoey had been so many times she knew to wait for her dad before she went upstairs, waiting patiently to hold his hand to walk up to the upper level.

The team paid more attention to the little girl than their colleague when the two made it up the stairs. Kevin was the first to make his way towards them.

"No way, is that Zoey Halstead?" Kevin ducked to her level and outstretched his arms out for her to hug him. Then, he backed away and glanced at her before they did their secret hand-shake. They'd created it a while ago and he was impressed that she still remembered it. "How's my favorite little girl been?"

"I'm good Kev!" Zoey squealed excitedly, clearly happy to see him.

Jay felt a bit bad, the look on her face suggested she'd missed everybody at the District. She hadn't been in so long. Jay offered his greetings to the rest of the team and then planned on saying hi to Hank but realized his door was closed. "Hey, how come Sarge's door is closed?"

The rest of the unit went quiet before Ruzek ushered him over. "You're not going to believe this man," his voice was almost a whisper. "Erin's back."

Jay tried to keep his face blank, having Ruzek believe he knew nothing of her reappearance. "No way," He began, but turned away from Adam and went back towards Zoey. He didn't think she'd heard them. "Zoey, come and sit at Daddy's desk a second."

The little girl turned towards Jay and ran to his desk. Jay lifted her so she was sitting on the end of it and she immediately began playing with the stationary he had there. Jay kept one eye on her and one eye on the door of Hank's office. He didn't know what to do. As soon as Erin came out, Jay knew Zoey would say something. And then the team would say something. And then they'd have to tell them. He knew that might be heavy on Erin.

He quickly stood from his desk and carried Zoey towards Hank's door. She seemed confused at first and he wasn't sure what he was doing himself. The rest of the team were looking at him. He went ahead and knocked on the door. Jay half expected to not get an answer but he was soon summoned in.

Erin and Daisy were both sat opposite Hank, and Jay knew he'd interrupted.

"Jay-" Erin turned around to look at him.

"Zoey!" Daisy jumped from the seat she was occupying just as Zoey wriggled free from their father's arms.

From the look on Hank's face, it was obvious Erin hadn't told him anything about what had happened the past few weeks. Jay was kind of glad, now they could tell him together.

Hank was frowning. "Is something going on here? Am I missing something?" He leaned further back in his chair to study the scene in his office. It was obvious the two little girls weren't strangers.

"They go to school together," Jay folded his arms across his chest and looked at Erin. He couldn't tell by the look on her face whether he'd said the right thing but she looked like she wasn't going to say anything,

Zoey broke apart from an embrace with Daisy and walked over towards Hank. She'd clearly missed him too, but she moved more timidly around him than she did the rest of the team.

"Yes Mr Hank, Daisy and me are in the same class," Her face spread into a grin. "But she's my sister too!"

Erin and Jay froze.

If it wasn't for the expression on both of their faces, Hank would have thought Zoey was mistaken. Zoey saw her dad's eyes widen and ran away from the conversation. She and Daisy soon became otherwise occupied with something at the opposite side of the office.

"I'm confused," Hank leaned towards the two Detectives who were still unsure where to look. "Does she mean-"

"She's right," Erin spoke quietly, as though she was afraid to tell him. "Jay is Daisy's father." After she'd spoken she lowered her head and put her hands in front of it, almost to shield herself from his view.

Hank pulled a facial expression that made his upper lip temporarily disappear and his brow creased. The atmosphere in his office was super tense and he watched as Erin and Jay exchanged a secret glance. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together, Hank soon realizing what must have happened.

"That's why you left," He finally vocalized his assumptions. "Jay was with Hannah." He spoke in low tones so the children wouldn't hear him.

Erin found herself nodding. And Jay did too.

Hank continued. "So that means you two-" He grimaced.

"I am _not_ having this conversation with you. No offence, Hank." Erin spoke still from behind her hands, clearly not wanting to make eye contact especially given what they were talking about. "Trust me, this is not how I wanted to tell you but please stop talking."

Jay laughed, feeling less awkward about it than Erin. "That's generally how it works, Sarge."

Hank was the next one to cringe, not wanting to keep up the current conversation topic. He worked quickly for a drastic change of subject. "So coming back to work Linds, you'd want to be back in Intelligence?"

"Oh absolutely, there's nowhere else for me to go." She finally pulled her hands away and felt her face begin to cool. "That's what we have to talk about. The childcare thing-" She paused to look at Jay, feeling the need for back-up. "I have the girls when they finish class. Before Jay gets in from work."

Hank frowned again. " _You_ have both girls?" He took his eyes from Erin and looked at Jay. "Why does she need to look after them when your wife is in the house most of the time?"

"Hannah's… that's," Jay dropped his voice aware that Zoey was still in the room. "We're not together anymore, and she's … AWOL."

Hank sighed, wondering what other bombshells they'd kept from him. "Jeez, anything else you'd like to tell me while we're on?"

"I think that's it," Jay answered.

"Good to know," Hank's hands came to rest on the desk as he sat forward on the chair. "So, given the day-care situation, how about we alternate your shifts?" He paused. "Or did you want to go back to being partners?"

Jay was down for either, knowing he would still see her either way but Erin spoke first.

"I'll think about that," Erin essentially ended the conversation.

"Okay," Hank got out of his chair and made his way towards the door. "I'll see you later girls! Enjoy the rest of your day," As he waved them goodbye, it was the first time he noticed the similarities between the two and it startled him a bit. He turned to Jay. "They've both got your nose."

Jay grimaced, wondering whether he had meant it as a compliment or not. He followed Erin and the girls out of the room. The rest of the unit were at their desks and looked at them as they left the office. It was obviously a strange sight for them to see: when Erin had left, Jay had been in the worst mood at work for days. And for all they knew, this was the first time they were reunited since her return. They realized they'd have to come clean.

Maybe now wasn't the time for that though, and Jay saw from Erin's face that she felt the same. It looked as though she just wanted to get out for today. He wanted to accompany her back downstairs so grabbed the papers from his desk on the way out and shadowed her footsteps down the stairs. Whilst the girls ran ahead, he grabbed her arm.

"Hey, I'm so sorry for Zoey's outburst back there. I know that's probably not the way you planned on telling him."

"Not exactly, but it's okay." She turned back to him and smiled. "It's one less thing I have to worry about I guess." Jay was relieved that she didn't look pissed. She scanned the room for the girls, noticing they were sitting at the front desk and waiting patiently for their parents pace to quicken. "What are you guys up to this afternoon?"

Before he had the chance to answer, Jay felt the vibrations of his cell. He pulled it from his pocket and stared at Hannah's called ID.

"Hannah?"

"Yep it's me, any chance I could have Zoey this afternoon?"

He was sceptical at first, knowing if she was with her new fling Zoey had never met him before. "Where are you taking her?"

"I was just going to head to my Mom's. Zoey hasn't seen her in a while."

Jay walked over to where Zoey was sitting with Daisy. He crouched to her level.

"Zoey, your Mommy's on the phone. Do you want to see her today?"

Zoey turned towards Jay and frowned. "No." She said bluntly.

"She wants to take you to see Grandma! Doesn't that sound fun?" Jay tried to plead with her, knowing if Hannah didn't see her daughter, the call would end in a bad way.

"No Daddy, I don't want to go. I want to stay with you and Daisy and Erin. Please don't make me go Daddy." Tears were beginning to well in the lower lid of her eyes.

"Hannah, you're hearing this right. Looks like she doesn't want to see you." Jay comforted Zoey with his free hand, placing it gently on her knee. He watched as she fought to keep herself from crying.

"I heard her but she doesn't know what she's talking about. Put her on the phone," Jay backed the phone away from his ear offering it to Zoey but she shook her head fiercely. Clearly she didn't want to talk to Hannah, and the way she'd suddenly left her had made her upset.

They weren't making enough noise to cause a scene but Erin noticed and walked over to where they were. She leaned against Jay.

"Is everything okay?" She whispered, seeing Zoey's emotional state.

Jay nodded towards her but he wasn't convinced himself. He knew Zoey had to see her Mom again at some point, but he didn't know how to coax her into doing so.

"Zoey, can you please just talk to Mommy for a second?" It killed him to ask again, knowing she was stubborn and wasn't going to change her mind. And he felt bad for trying to make her do so. "She's on the phone, here" He tried to offer the cell to the youngest of his daughters but she still refused.

"No!" Zoey jumped from where she was sitting then and to Jay's surprised ran towards Erin. She climbed onto her knee and turned her face away as the softest sobs escaped her body. Erin adjusted her position where she was crouching so Zoey wouldn't fall and her hands moved protectively around her body. Zoey spoke again whilst Erin tried her best to soothe her.

"I don't want to see Mommy I want… I want Erin to be my Mommy."

Jay didn't know where to look, quietly pulling the phone back to his own ear. By the time he called out, all he could hear was the dial tone.

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	15. Chapter 15

What Zoey had said at the end of the phone call had effected Hannah, because Jay didn't hear from her for the rest of the week. He knew she would be hurting; having your child saying she wanted somebody else as their mother couldn't have been an easy thing to hear. Still, he hadn't expected Hannah to give up on their child that easily.

He'd been apprehensive at what his wife's next move would be, he knew she would want to see Zoey at some point. But that was the beginning of the week, and Jay was still in the dark with regards to her whereabouts. She couldn't have left, she said she wasn't going anywhere but there hadn't been any attempt for the two to reunite. Jay could say he'd tried though, the occasions he'd thought to call her cell she hadn't responded.

Hannah's disappearance didn't look like it had effected Zoey, as she continued life through school and spending time with Daisy and Erin. Jay knew that the sooner he reunited his daughter with his mother the better, but there was nothing he could do if he couldn't get in touch with her. She was soon at the back of his mind again as another week progressed.

Friday morning, and he was woken up the same way he was each weekday: his personal alarm clock climbing over his body. This time though he was pleasantly surprised that she was snuggled into him and he kinda didn't want to move.

Jay kissed her hair. "Good morning baby, did you sleep good?"

Zoey backed away from Jay's embrace so she could talk to him. "I slept great Daddy! How did you sleep?"

"Daddy slept great, too! Come on, let's get you showered and ready for school." He scooped her up in his arms, much to her delight and walked them both to the bathroom. Jay started the water and helped Zoey strip herself from hr pyjamas. "Are you excited for school today?"

"A little bit. But I'm more excited for tonight, it's Friday right Daddy?"

Jay laughed, automatically thinking she was looking forward to their usual Saturday hang-out with Daisy and Erin. But she'd said she was excited for tonight, and that caused Jay to realize. He froze for a second, forgetting that he'd promised Erin he would have Daisy for a sleepover tonight. _Crap._

He'd loved spending time with his oldest daughter and getting to know her, of _course_ he had. But it would be their first time together without Erin tonight, Jay was cautious of how she would react to a night without her Mom. He also needed to make the best impression before she arrived, so he'd have to cut out early before he picked the girls up from Erin's in the afternoon.

"Daddy?" The shivering little voice interrupted his thought process. Zoey was apparently done with her shower, wrapping her arms around herself and waiting for her towel.

"Sorry, pumpkin." Jay reached for the towel and wrapped her in his arms again. He guided them across the hallway and into Zoey's bedroom. She wriggled free from his grip and started to dry herself and put her clothes on. Jay followed her over to the closet to help her, fastening the buttons on her shirt and reaching in the drawers for a pair of her socks. She sat on the bed as Jay put them on for her. "So you're excited for the sleepover tonight?"

"You bet Daddy, having Daisy at my house is gonna be so much fun!" Zoey clasped her hands together in excitement. "Is Erin going to be here too?"

Jay shook his head. "No sweetie, Erin is _busy_ tonight." He'd temporarily forgotten about Erin's other arrangements tonight, and he couldn't deny the fact that he didn't want her to go out with another guy. Not that he had any right to say anything though, so he kept those thoughts to himself. "It's just gonna be you and me and Daisy."

"Oh, okay." Jay thought he heard a tinge of sadness in her tone but it soon disappeared and she sprung from the bed running towards the staircase. He heard the thumping of her little feet as he went back to his own room.

His work stuff was already laid out next to the bed so he stripped himself from his sweats and got into his work gear. Then he went downstairs to make Zoey her breakfast. He found her in the kitchen though, already working on pouring herself cereal.

He swore that, since Hannah's disappearance, Zoey had expressed so much more independence and she was growing up before his eyes. He stood at the door, watching as she stood on her toes to reach for the milk. Then he lingered back as she walked back to her cereal and poured the milk out of the carton, her eyes widening as she missed her aim and the milk spilled onto the floor. She was about to shout for her father before she saw him standing at the door. She dropped the carton onto the kitchen counter, her small hands covering her face.

"Oops, I'm sorry Daddy!" Her timid voice was shaky.

"Hey it's okay Zo!" Lucky for Jay, she'd missed her clothes with the spillage so he scooped her up and sat her on the counter. He wasn't even pissed at the situation, being so impressed that she'd tried to make breakfast herself. He poured milk into the dish and pushed it towards her so she could eat whilst he cleaned up.

Once they were both finished, Jay lowered her to the ground so she could get ready for school. Then he bundled her into the car and drove to drop her off.

"Bye Zo, I'll pick you up from Erin's tonight! Love you!"

"Okay Daddy I love you too!" She waved her goodbyes and Jay waited until she was inside the building before driving to the District.

Jay's morning was quiet, he was finishing paperwork when Hank approached his desk.

"Jay."

"Hank," Jay looked up from what he was occupied with. "What's up Sarge?"

"The sky Halstead. Listen, you're definitely alright with Lindsay coming back? And working with you?"

Jay frowned. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"I wouldn't have asked, but given our _meeting_ the other morning, I figured more had happened between you two that I knew. Your relationship now, that wouldn't affect your work, right?"

Jay grimaced as he thought of their meeting on Monday, how their past relationship had been unravelled by Zoey. He was just glad he didn't have to tell Hank himself.

"That would never happen, Hank."

His answer seemed to satisfy Voight, but he couldn't decide whether he believed his words himself. It had been five years since he'd worked Intelligence with Erin, and he knew things were bound to be different. He watched as his boss walked back to his own office, but the conversation still lingered in Jay's mind. He was happy, definitely happy, that Erin was returning to the unit but the progress in their relationship recently caused him to think about how they would be together at work.

He had time to think about that though, knowing Erin wasn't going to be back at the District at least until after her house was finished.

When he got to Erin's after work, he felt exhausted. He didn't have time to think about himself though, knowing he had to entertain two four-year-old's tonight. He parked on the driveway and made his way up to Erin's door.

She was already half dressed for her _date_ when she answered the door. Jay tried not to let it bother him but he sucked in his breath as she let him in. The lose curls of her hair lay over her chest, and she was armed with a make-up brush as she spoke to him.

"Oh hi Jay, come in." She closed the door behind them, and started up the stairs. "Sorry, I have to finish getting ready. The girls are eating dinner in the kitchen." Jay watched as she walked the rest of the stairway then disappeared from his sight.

He found Zoey and Daisy sitting at the table, chatting to each other as they finished their food. Jay moved over to them and sat down with them.

"Hey girls, how was school?"

"Daddy! School was great." Zoey smiled when she noticed him.

"It was? What did you do today?"

"We painted pictures! Did you want to see them?" Daisy asked, already moving from the table in a bid to show him what they'd created. She walked to the kitchen counter and came back with two sheets of paper. "What do you think, do you like them?"

Jay studied the pictures, smiling as he did so. It looked like they'd painted the four of them together. "These are pretty awesome girls. Do you have your things ready for your sleepover, Dais?"

She shook her head. "I'll go and do it!" Daisy ran from the room and Zoey quickly followed. "I'll help you!"

Jay was left in the kitchen for a while, taking it upon himself to clear their dinner dishes away and then he walked upstairs himself. He should have checked on his daughters but he walked in the direction of Erin's bedroom instead. He found himself knocking on the door.

"Jay, you don't have to knock."

He pushed open the door and walked into the room. Erin was stood at her vanity, finishing getting dressed. She turned towards him, moving her hair to the side and revealing her bare back to him.

"Can you zip me?" Erin motioned towards the fastening on the dress she was wearing, and watched as he walked slowly towards her.

"Sure," Jay halted when he came to where she was standing, and closed the fastening that was revealing so much of her skin. He felt his fingers lingering on the zipper, having to force himself away from her. He couldn't bring himself to look away though. "So, where are you headed tonight?"

"I don't know actually," she laughed, moving to the other side of her bed to choose accessories. "Just for a few drinks though, I think."

"Gotcha," Jay backed away slowly, moving to exit the room. "I should get going with the girls, enjoy yourself tonight." He felt himself having to force the words out of his mouth, truthfully he felt selfish and wanted her to have the worst time.

"Hey, thanks for this." She turned from her dresser and grinned and him. "And thank you, I will."

He walked along the corridor towards Daisy's room. "Are you girls ready?"

"Yes," they replied in unison and both appeared around the doorframe.

"Let's go then, shout goodbye to Erin, Zo. Bye to Mommy, Dais."

"Bye Erin!"

"Bye Mommy!"

He walked down the stairs first, relieving Daisy of her overnight bag and waited for them to follow to the car. He strapped them both in their boosters and drove home.

The girls seemed to be full of energy all night, but it didn't bother him. He played with them for hours, grimacing as they covered him with jewels and girly accessories. In all honesty, he was relieved Daisy seemed so at ease without her Mom there.

They were even well behaved at bed time and they declined his offer of the 'big bed' in Jay's room. Instead they preferred to squish together in Zoey's bed.

"Can we have a story Daddy?" Zoey sat on the inner side of her bed, clasping her hands together as she requested a story. "Please?"

Daisy didn't say anything but from the look on her face she wanted the same.

Jay picked a random one from the shelf and positioned himself at the bottom of the bed. Before he made it to the fourth chapter, the girls both had their eyes closed and he heard soft snores coming from one of their mouths. Then he tiptoed from the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

Though he was exhausted, he noticed it was only 8:30 in the evening and if he slept early, he'd be up at dawn. He crept downstairs and turned on the TV. He quickly found a documentary to watch but his mind was far from focussed on what was happening on the screen.

Even though he hated himself for it, Erin was circling his brain. He found himself being concerned about what she was doing and who she was with. He kept checking his cell, not quite sure what he was expecting.

He hated the way he thought about her, realizing maybe he wasn't allowed to look at her in such a light any longer. But since Hannah had left, came back and said " _I see the way you look at her",_ the words had played in his mind. Maybe Hannah was right? But it would be _totally_ unethical to act on his feelings knowing he and Hannah hadn't been apart for that long, and Erin was in fact on a _date._

Once the clock reached 10, he forced himself from the couch and back up the stairs. Although he would probably be lying awake for a while, Jay felt he was passed the stage of tiredness. But he knew the girls would be awake prompt in the morning so he tried to get to sleep anyway.

* * *

Jay was pleasantly surprised he got to lie in bed past 8am on a Saturday. He'd half expected to be woken by the girls climbing onto his bed. When he woke though, he could hear them but their voices were coming from Zoey's room. Jay took the opportunity to get a shower, poking his head into Zoey's bedroom on his return from the bathroom.

The girls were still lying in bed, the covers pulled up to their chins. The quiet lull of Zoey's TV was on in the background and the two girls seemed to be engrossed in whatever program was showing.

It was such a serene scene, Jay kinda didn't want to interrupt. "Is everything okay, girls? Should we go downstairs for breakfast?"

"Oh please Daddy!" Zoey climbed out of bed first, quickly followed by Zoey. They both took a grip of his hands and followed him down the stairs.

Once he'd made breakfast, Jay sent his daughters upstairs to get ready. It was Saturday, and Saturday meant putting a shift in on Erin's house. He took the opportunity to get ready himself, and he soon had the girls in the car.

It was weird not knocking this time, Daisy taking the lead and opening the door right away to her home.

"Mommy?" Daisy was the first to enter the house, pushing off her sneakers and shouting for her Mom. "Mommy, where are you?"

"In here." The voice came from the lounge, causing Daisy to run in that direction. Zoey and Jay followed after her.

Erin was curled up on the couch in sweats, her hair pulled back into a bun on the top of her head. After their greeting, the little girls ran to the back of the room to Daisy's toy-box. Jay sat at the end where Erin had her feet.

"Ouch," he laughed. "Rough night?"

"Ugh, you could say that." Erin brought her head up to look at him. "I am never drinking again. How was the sleepover?"

"Oh, it was fine. How was _your_ night?" Jay immediately regretted asking, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer. She'd spent the night with a guy that wasn't him and he couldn't fathom why he'd thought to ask her about it.

Erin pulled her legs under her chin. "It was okay, I don't remember that much of it."

"Woah, that good?"

"Shut up. No, more like I was drinking so much to drone out the sound of him talking. God, I can still hear him now." She shook her head, as if to shake the image of her date from her brain. "Honestly, remind me again why I thought dating was a good idea." Erin seemed to repress the thought of last night from her mind as she got up from the couch and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. "Okay today we're finishing Daisy's room. Come on."

Jay followed her up the stairs to Daisy's room. He'd remembered her saying she'd started work on it without him, but she needed help with the last few things in there. When they entered the room, it looked almost complete already. The paint job was finished and most of the furniture was there aside from a few boxes in the corner.

"This is awesome Erin, it looks like it's almost done already. What else needs doing in here?"

"Her closet," Erin pointed towards the largest boxes. "I think it needs building up, and painting. Then, I have transfers to stick onto her wall. The," She looked around the room, and smiled. "Then it should be finished."

He caught her gaze. "We best get started then," He fought with the big box to get it open. Erin opened one of the smaller boxes in the process. "I'm surprised you look fresh this morning."

"Thanks, but I don't _feel_ it," Erin laughed. "Dare I ask how your night was, was Daisy okay?"

Jay smiled, thinking back to the previous night. "She was totally fine. I spent half of the night dressed as a fairy princess."

Erin giggled, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh I wish I'd been there to see!"

Jay raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? If you were there believe me, I wouldn't have been the one dressed as a fairy princess."

"Jay, if I was there it would have been three against one. You would _definitely_ have been the one dressed as a fairy princess."

He realized the moments he shared alone with Erin were the moments he lived for. Though they were working on her house, he would have totally been down to spend the entire day sitting in the bedroom with her.

Between the two of them, it didn't take much time at all to put the finishing touches to Daisy's bedroom. Jay focused his attention on the closet, painting it a shade of pink once it was assembled. He watched as Erin picked the transfers and placed them on the wall, an array of princess things and cartoon characters. Daisy was bound to love it.

They both rearranged her furniture to fit the closet where Erin wanted it to go, before taking a step backwards to admire their work.

"We did good," Erin turned towards Jay, sticking out her hand for a fist bump.

"Erin, she's gonna love it." Jay knew she'd put more work into this room than him. He tried to reassure her with his words. "We should show her."

Erin nodded and walked to the top of the landing. "Daisy, your room is finished. Did you want to see it?"

Both girls were soon running up the stairs, Daisy first followed by Zoey. They both entered the room together.

When they noticed what had changed, both their little mouths dropped to the floor. Zoey wandered around the room looking at the paint and stuff whilst Daisy stood on her bed to get a closer look at her wall transfers. Although the look of amazement and happiness was obvious in their facial expressions, Erin wanted to hear what they thought.

"Well," Erin directed her question at her daughter. "What do you think?"

Daisy jumped on the bed. "Oh I love it! I love it sooo much!" She climbed from the bed to hug Erin's legs. "Thanks Mommy!" Then she walked over to Jay doing the same. "Thanks…thank you _Daddy._ "

Jay bent to her level, sharing the elation on Daisy's face. He took her in an embrace. "You're welcome sweetie. I'm glad you like it."

He was so caught up in the moment that he failed at first to realize what she'd called him. When he'd stood back up again, it was Erin who pointed it out. The girls became preoccupied again with the new bedroom and Erin walked back over to him.

"You realize what she just called you, right?"

"She did…did she….she called me _Dad_."

Erin smiled, nodding her head at the same time. "She called you _Daddy_. Finally. You don't know how happy that makes me."

"I do, because it makes me that happy too."

They stood together for a while, half enjoying their handy-work and half enjoying the girls' reaction to it. Daisy and Zoey seemed to relish in the new room, but soon they were jumping on the bed.

"Hey," Erin peeled herself from Jay's side. "Beds are not for jumping on! There are lots of toys downstairs that you can play with, your bed's not a toy, Dais!"

Jay thought her attempt to be a strict parent was cute, because the girls didn't listen to her at all. It was obvious Erin didn't tell Daisy off on many occasions.

"I got this," Jay whispered to her. "Right you monkeys!" He ran over to the bed, scooping a daughter into each of his arms. It caused a fit of giggles from them both. He found himself standing in the center of Daisy's room, staring at Erin. She was looking him with a look he'd never seen before. It was like pure happiness.

He didn't want to break their gaze but the girls were restless so he reluctantly turned away and carried them downstairs. He knew he'd ruined that moment, whatever it had been. He wouldn't get it back. If he went back into the room now, it wouldn't happen again.

Erin came down the stairs after them. She made her way into the kitchen and Jay followed her after the girls had gone into the lounge.

"I need coffee," she yawned, as though to carry on the conversation as normal. "Would you like one?"

"Sure," Jay nodded and stood beside her at the counter. "Two s-"

"Two sugars, I got you." Erin raised her eyebrows at her, and Jay was surprised she remembered. She pushed the cup in front of him and took her own to her lips. Then she turned her attention to him, placing her coffee cup back onto the kitchen counter. "Did you get in touch with Hannah?"

"No," Jay sipped his own drink. "I feel done with her, Erin. If she wants to see her daughter, then _she_ has to make an effort. I'm not the one who walked out on her."

"Hey, you're right." She touched his arm tenderly and felt him tense. "Hannah doesn't know what she's missing. And Jay," Her fingers caressed his skin. "You're a great Dad, just in case nobody told you lately."

He felt like he needed to hear it, and smiled at her. "Thanks, Er. You're a great Mom too. You've been there for both my daughters, even when one of their mothers is behaving like a complete _ass._ " He no longer felt the need to stand up for Hannah, if she wanted to get back into their lives, she was gonna have a hard time doing so.

"There's no other way for me to be. She's your other daughter, I love her almost as much as I love my own." From the tone of her voice, Jay knew she meant it.

"Erin, I.." He couldn't find the words to finish his sentence, instead stepping forward and kissing her forehead tenderly. She didn't move to back away like Jay thought she would. He probably shouldn't have done such a thing, but had been wanting to for days. Although, not necessarily on her forehead. It pained him that he couldn't and he backed himself away again, finishing his mug of coffee. He checked the time on his watch. "I should be getting home, Zoey will be ready for bed soon." He laughed, thinking about the sleepover. "I'm pretty sure they were up early sharing girly secrets, she might need an early one."

"Oh then I bet Daisy is tired too," Erin watched as Jay moved towards the lounge again.

"Zoey, are you ready for home?" Jay walked into the room to find the girls still playing. It was a wonder to him that they didn't seem to tire of each other's company. "It's getting late, we need to go in the bath and then to bed."

Zoey didn't protest but that did nothing to hide the tinge of sadness in her face. She _hated_ when their Saturdays were over, and Jay did too.

"Come on pumpkin, you'll see Daisy again at school." Jay walked over to his eldest daughter and kissed her forehead, the same spot he'd just kissed her Mom in. She moved towards him to hug him goodbye. "Bye Dais, I'll see you soon."

"Bye Daddy-" She blew him a kiss as she pulled from his embrace. Then she walked towards her Mom.

The four of them walked towards the door, Erin and Daisy hanging back so the other two could wander outside.

"I'll see you." He said to Erin as he waved goodbye.

The car journey was silent, and Jay presumed it was because Daisy was in fact tired. She looked out of the window the whole ride home. When they got there, Jay immediately bathed her and knew she looked tired. He carried her from the bathroom into her bedroom and got her ready for bed.

Once she'd had a story Jay tucked her in under the comforter. He kissed her temple before moving to leave the room. He didn't reach the door before she spoke:

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Zo?"

"Erin. Why did she go out with another man, Daddy when she _loves_ you?"

He hadn't expected the question, or what she'd said at all and the air felt like it was sucked from him. He guessed she'd gotten confused. "What are you talking about, Zo? Daddy and Erin are just friends."

"No. Erin. When me and Erin were in Daisy's room and you were talking to Daisy on the stairs. That's when she said it Daddy."

"Said what pumpkin?"

"She loves you Daddy, she said that she loves you."

 **Please Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

Jay decided not to act upon what Zoey had blurted out, at least not for a few weeks anyway. It wasn't that he thought she wasn't telling the truth, or that she had misunderstood, but he was apprehensive about what would occur if he _did_ do something about it. He had hopes that Erin did have these feelings, of course he did, but once he found out and did something about it, there would be no going back.

That particular day, his morning at the District was long. Jay found himself yawning by the afternoon. Zoey had woken up super early that morning, meaning Jay hadn't got much sleep. If it was gonna be a habit of his youngest daughter to start waking at crazy times in the morning, he vowed to start going to bed earlier. That way, he wouldn't find himself looking forward to finishing his shift so easily. He _loved_ his job and didn't want the tiredness to effect his work ethic. Today though, he couldn't wait to get home to his girls. And Erin.

Erin had arrived for the girls the same time she arrived every afternoon, to pick them up from class. She headed to the rear of the building, and waited outside of the door. Like usual, Zoey and Daisy were still full of energy, running towards her free from their school day.

"Mommy!" Daisy halted when she reached Erin, wrapping her arms around her mom's left thigh.

"M- Erin!" Zoey followed in her sister's footsteps, wrapping herself around Erin's free leg.

Though she'd corrected herself, Erin froze when she heard Zoey speaking. She and Jay had attempted to tell her- Erin wasn't actually her Mom- but Zoey kept going to say it anyway. Erin didn't actually mind: she'd been present when her own Mom hadn't, and Daisy didn't seem to mind sharing. So what harm was it causing?

Erin smiled at the girls, stroking their hairs as they embraced her.

"Hi girls! Did you have fun at school today?"

"Yes Mommy!" Daisy released her grip on Erin's leg and moved to hold her hand instead. "We sang songs with Miss Kirsty!"

"We did Erin, we did!" Zoey held the other hand and the three of them started walking towards the car. "Shall we sing one for you?"

Erin laughed. "Oh, I'd love that!" She helped both girls into her car as they started singing. It was still funny to Erin that they seemed so in sync with each other, obviously they'd been practicing this singing. They accompanied their singing with hand gestures, clapping their hands as Erin manoeuvred around them to strap the fastenings on their boosters.

They continued to sing as Erin got into the driver's seat and drove towards her house, totally unaware of the car behind her that tailed her all the way home.

It always surprised Erin that the girls still had so much energy, especially after their full days at school. She unbuckled their belts, watching as they ran towards the door. Jasper the dog was looking at them through the window.

"Why don't you two play in the garden with Jasper?" Erin's suggestion resonated well with the girls. After she'd unlocked the door, Erin watched as they ran through to the rear of the house, the dog following close behind. Erin went into the house after them, locking both the car and the door behind her.

The girls being outside and occupied meant she could start their dinner. The kitchen window allowed Erin to still watch over them at the same time. She watched for a few moments, the girls were running in circles with Jasper in the garden. It was a part of the house that Erin was yet to work on, she wanted to buy a swing-set and play equipment eventually, but for now Daisy and Zoey seemed content enough playing with the dog.

When Erin as well underway with their dinner, she heard a knock at the door. Erin frowned, glancing at the clock. She was familiar with the shifts Jay worked at the District now, and he wasn't due to finish for another half hour. Jay didn't even tend to knock anymore, she felt like he didn't need to. But she wasn't expecting anybody else, contemplating ignoring whoever it was.

Until she heard the knocking again, more rapid this time. Whoever it was sounded impatient. Erin turned down the temperature on the cooker and walked slowly through the hallway. From the way the front of her house was set out, Erin could make out the figure before she reached the door. She could see the outline of a brunette, the features though were blurred from the frosted glass. Before she grabbed the handle, there was another knock again. It was so hard this time, Erin was surprised the glass didn't shatter in front of her.

The sudden realization hit Erin as she got to leaning against the door material. She knew who it as, but wished with everything in her that she didn't. Since she'd come back to town, she hadn't had much opportunity to connect with people. There was really only one woman who she'd come into contact with since her return. And she was the one standing outside of Erin's house.

Erin reluctantly turned the key in the lock towards her. She heard the woman clearing her throat before she'd even opened the door. She didn't open the door wide, just a fraction and enough for them to look at each other.

"Hannah," Her name was the first thing to leave Erin's lips. She hated how shaky her voice suddenly sounded, her intonation going high at the end. The woman obviously made her more nervous that she let herself believe. Hannah didn't speak, and so Erin continued. "What are you doing here, Hannah?"

It didn't even cross Erin's mind to wonder how she knew the address, she was more concerned with what the woman wanted.

"I've come for my little girl," Hannah's arms folded across her chest, her stance coming across a little threatening to Erin. "I know she's here."

Erin kept the door almost closed to prevent Hannah from seeing inside. "So what if she is?" She found herself getting defensive- how _dare_ Hannah show up now and demand access to her Zoey, the daughter who she hadn't seen in weeks. Like Jay had said, she'd made no effort these past weeks to see Zoey. And Erin had been the one there for her recently.

"You can't just turn up to my house and take her-"

Hannah laughed, a hearty sneer as if to say Erin's words were ridiculous. "I hate to break it to you Erin but you're not her Mom. That would be _me._ " She stepped closer to the door, making Erin retreat back.

"Well maybe you should act like it. Have you even asked Jay how Zoey has been doing? What she's been up to, while you've been _away_?"

"I don't think you're in any position to question my parenting Erin. I wasn't the one who kept my daughter from her father for years."

Erin's jaw dropped to the floor. "Hannah-" What Zoey's Mom said had stung, and Erin couldn't find the words to reply to her.

It was never Erin's intention to go against Hannah, she'd been the first one to correct Zoey when she'd called Erin Mom. That didn't give Hannah the right though to take such a low blow at events of the past. It still traumatized Erin that Jay had missed four years of Daisy's life and she didn't need Hannah to remind her of that.

She rose above Hannah's maturity level. "That has absolutely nothing to do with this-"

"It has _everything_ to do with this. You already took my husband, I won't let you have my daughter too."

Erin scoffed this time. "Okay, what are you talking about? I didn't _take_ your husband."

"Oh please, tell me he hasn't been spending most of his time here. Tell me he hasn't told you how he feels about you." Hannah's eyes were literal slits as she stared at Erin.

"He-" Erin started to argue back, then realized he probably _had_ spent most of his time there. She chewed on her lip.

Hannah unfolded her arms and leaned against the door frame. "Listen, I didn't intentionally come here to argue with you."

Erin wanted to laugh, she didn't want to offend her, yet thought it was okay to bring up the past?

"Let me in to see Zoey, I need to know she's okay."

"She's _fine_." Erin's words didn't seem to register with Hannah as she still tried to peer into the house. "But clearly you don't believe me." She found herself backing into the house, opening the door for Hannah to follow. Erin wasn't exactly sure why she just invited Hannah into her home, perhaps it was because she didn't want to cause a scene outside. It wasn't even Erin's position to decide if she could see Zoey, that was Jay's decision.

Hannah walked into the hallway. "Would you mind if I used your bathroom real quick?"

Erin pointed up the stairs. "Last door at the right." She waited until Hannah was out of sight, then ran into the kitchen. Her cell was on the counter.

He picked up on the second ring. "Everything okay?"

"No," Erin could feel the panic in her own voice, so he probably noticed it too. "You gotta get to my place, Jay. And _soon_." Then she hung up, hearing Hannah's footsteps heavy on the stairs. It was like she was in a rush to set her eyes on Zoey, and Erin didn't want her to catch her on the phone.

* * *

The phone call had left him nervous. As soon as Jay heard Erin's voice, he knew something was wrong. There was only a remaining 20 minutes of his shift, so he found himself cutting out early. Jay didn't even make time to retrieve belongings from his locker, instead heading straight to the car.

Erin hadn't elaborated on why he had to get to her place so he automatically presumed it was something bad. His mind was focused on Daisy and Zoey, surely if something happened to them Erin would have told him over the phone.

His thoughts were still in overdrive when he pulled up at Erin's place. As he ran from the car, he noticed nothing different about how the house and its surroundings looked, taking it as a good sign. Jay let himself through the door, and the eerie silence of the place was the first thing he noticed. He was about to call out when he saw Erin in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. Her hands were turning yellow as they gripped the counter top, and she looked the furthest emotion from relaxed. He saw that she was staring at the floor until she heard his footsteps and looked at him.

Erin didn't say anything, but her eyes went wide as she saw him. She was motioning forward with her head, towards something Jay couldn't yet see- the door was his obstacle. He found himself frowning as he nearer the kitchen, opening the door wider so he could see.

Hannah was standing against the door that led to the rear garden, watching the two girls as they continued to play. It looked like Zoey hadn't noticed her Mom yet, her attention still on her sister and the puppy.

Jay made it to the kitchen before she noticed him. "Hannah?" She spun when she heard his voice. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

"I came to see Zoey," She continued to look out of the window, playing particular attention to her daughter's movements.

Jay didn't move from Erin's side. "And you think that's acceptable? You think it's okay to barge into Erin's house when I'm not here? All these weeks, you haven't even seemed to _care_ about our daughter. You don't know if she's sleeping okay, any progress she's made, what her new favorite TV show is-" He found himself breathing rather heavily and paused to slow it. "You think you came here to see her," Jay leant away from the counter and walked towards Hannah. "You're wrong."

He realized that he never really stood ground against Hannah, and she seemed shocked that he had now.

"You can't keep me away from my daughter."

"I'm not, Hannah. See for yourself, Zoey doesn't _want_ to see you." Jay opened the door and called to the girls. As soon as they heard his voice, they ran straight over- like they did most evenings when he returned from work. Daisy was first into the house, running over to where Erin was standing. Zoey moved to follow her, before setting eyes on her Mother and scurrying behind Jay's body.

The paternal instinct in him sensed her anxiousness so he picked her up in his embrace. Hannah watched as he did so, walking closer to the two of them.

"Hey Zoey, it's Mommy! I came to see you!"

Zoey stared at the woman in front of her, her brows furrowed into a little frown.

"How about we go out for dinner? We could go for ice-cream?"

Zoey's eyes temporarily widened at the mention of her favorite dessert, but she still shook her head.

"Come on Zo, we can get ice-cream and go see Granny! You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Zoey's shakes of her head were getting progressively violent with each of Hannah's suggestions. Her grip was so tight now around Jay's neck, he had to stroke her reassuringly so she softened her hold.

"Can't you see? This is what happens when you walk out on a child, Hannah. You've done this yourself."

Hannah finally backed away a little, resigned to the fact she wasn't getting through to the little girl. "I've probably handled this the wrong way, I know. But how do I know you haven't been feeding her lies about me?"

" _Feeding her lies about you_? Do you hear yourself right now? She's _four_. In her eyes, you walked out on her. You left for weeks. A child is supposed to have two parents there for her," Jay heard a noise from behind him, knowing it was Erin. He suddenly felt awkward as he realized what words he'd just vocalized. "Whatever happened between us, that shouldn't have affected your relationship with your daughter."

Zoey squirmed in his arms so he lowered her to the floor. She ran over to her big sister, and they ran away into the lounge. It allowed Jay to get on the defensive: he didn't like to come across as anything but pleasant in front of Zoey. And Daisy, for that matter.

Hannah crossed her arms. "She doesn't want to see me, does she?"

Jay shrugged, he didn't feel sorry for her but she was still the mother of one of his children. "Look, give her time. She's in shock that you're here. If you're sticking around this time, she might want to see you in the future." He watched as Hannah made for the door. "You need to thank Erin."

"What, why?"

"Hannah, she's not Zoey's Mom. And she'd never tried to be. But she's played a role in her life for these past few weeks."

She walked past Erin towards the front of the house and didn't say anything, but gave her a look. It was half apologetic, half somewhat thankful. Jay followed her movement to the door, making sure she was leaving.

"Just so you know Jay, I'm not going anywhere. I'll see my daughter whenever she wants to see me."

"I get that, but look at it from her eyes. You left me but you left her too. She'll be cautious around you. Until you prove that you won't do it again."

He knew what he was saying made sense because Hannah didn't seem to have words to argue back. Jay watched as she headed down the driveway and didn't once glance back. He stayed watching until Hannah had disappeared from his sight, and shut- locked- the door.

Jay was slightly surprised that Erin was standing behind him. She was so quiet, that he didn't know how long she'd been stood there. Before he thought of what to say to her, Erin took the last step to close the remaining gap between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. Tight. Jay returned her embrace, bringing an arm to rest around her shoulders and the other on her back. Neither of them spoke for a minute, but Jay tensed when he felt her head drop to rest against his chest. Erin had always been just the right height to nestle herself under his chin and he found himself smiling as she did so.

He noticed she was shaking slightly, his grip around her body tightening when he felt it. It was only when he hugged her in such a way that he realized how tiny and petite she was. He didn't exactly know why she was shaking but guessed it was because of Hannah. He had no idea what had happened between them before he'd arrived.

Erin pulled away from him.

He tried to hide the disappointment; the moment had been nice. He smiled at her. "What was that for?"

"What you said to Hannah, right before she left. You didn't have to do that."

"I was giving her a few home truths, Erin." He watched as Erin started back into the kitchen and pulled herself to sit on the counter top. He found himself curious as to how Hannah had got in the house in the first place. "How come she came in here?"

Erin scratched her neck. "She, she turned up at the door wanting to see Zoey. I just panicked and let her in, I have no idea how she figured my address. Anyway, she said some stuff but I didn't want to cause a fuss outside. So she asked to use the bathroom and that's when I called you."

"Whatever she said to you-" He dreaded to think about their conversation.

"She said some pretty mean things I guess," Erin's gaze dropped to her knees. "But they were true."

Jay moved to stand in front of her. "What did she say?"

Erin shook her head, didn't bring her eyes to him. "She just reminded me that I kept our daughter from you. How you missed the first things of her life, the things you got to experience with Zoey."

Jay's hand moved to underneath her chin, bringing up her head so she was looking at him. It hurt him insides to see tears in her eyes. He had a sympathetic look in his own. "Hey, I thought we were past this," His fingers played with the soft skin of her face, making small circles around her cheek with his finger. "She's just trying to open up old wounds. Please, _please_ , ignore everything she said to you."

Jay backed away as Erin slid down from the counter top. "Everything? You want me to ignore _everything_ she said to me?"

"Yea- wait, what else did she say?" Jay's eyes narrowed as he spoke. He noticed Erin avert her eyes to everywhere in the room, except him. "Erin, what did she say?"

"She asked- she said- she,"

"Er," Jay laughed, and it was more out of nerves than anything. Whatever Hannah said had got to Erin, she wasn't usually at a loss for words. He took hold of her shoulders, pulling her close again. "What was it? Oh God, was it bad?" He felt Erin shake her head. "Then wh-"

"She asked if I knew how you felt about me. I was just gonna ignore what she was telling me but she was right about everything else. So I thought it was weird that she said it." Erin willed herself away from Jay's body so she could look at him. And see his reaction.

"You thought it was weird?" It hadn't been the word he'd hoped she would use.

"Coming from your wife, I guess it was weird. I mean, she seemed to know an awful lot about us. Me, you, you spending a lot of time here…"

"First of all, she isn't my wife anymore." Jay thought it was the first time he'd indicated to his naked left hand.

Jay took a step closer towards her, and stared into her eyes for a second. He took one of her lose curls and pushed it carefully behind her ear, it revealed to him more of her face. And now they were alone, he allowed himself to look at her and _really_ look at her. It was the first time he fully allowed himself to do so, since they'd been reunited. Since the first night in her bedroom, when they were organizing and had _that_ moment, until his wedding ring got trapped in her curls. He thought back to the night and found his face spreading into the widest grin, without him telling it to.

Even though she'd had a rough meeting with Hannah, she still managed to look effortlessly beautiful.

She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "I'd appreciate it if you enlightened me on the situation, instead of keeping your feelings to yourself."

A laughing noise escaped the back of his throat. "Sorry, uh what were we talking about again?"

"Oh, you are _unbelievable._ Focus! Hannah, me, doorstep, her asking me if I knew about your feelings. Ringing any bells?" Her sass was back.

"I thought I was the worst at being subtle, but clearly you didn't realize."

Her impatience was evident and Erin cocked her hip as she answered. "Realize what? God Jay, you're talking in riddles."

"That I'm in love with you, you dumb-ass."


	17. Chapter 17

" _That I'm in love with you, you dumb-ass."_

She ran a hand through her curls. "Jay, please don't mess with me right now-"

"I'm not messing with you." He closed the remaining gap between them, walking forward so she was trapped between the kitchen counter and himself. "I'm in love with you. I guess I always have been."

When there was nowhere for her to go, she threw her hands against his chest. She scrunched the material between her fists, pulling Jay's face down to her level. Erin spoke in a whisper, a tingle in his ear only loud enough for him to hear.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that." There were tears in her eyes, tears that Jay was okay with seeing this time. They were there for a different reason – a better reason- than her others he had witnessed recently. Her lips spread into the widest smile and the wetness surrounding her pupils only made her eyes seem to sparkle.

Jay reached forward and caressed her cheek tenderly before allowing his arm to travel to the back of her neck. Their lip were fused together in seconds, Jay's mouth coming and crashing down on hers. His movement was so fast that it temporarily caught Erin by surprise. She didn't hesitate to kiss him back though, stepping up on her toes and returning his movement with just as much urge and lust.

A low growl escaped Jay's throat as his palm left her neck, instead his hands moving to either side of her waist. He made light work of boosting her body above the counter, her ass connecting suddenly with the counter top. Erin gasped at the cold and hard contact of the granite, opening wide enough for Jay to slide his tongue in her mouth and explore crevices he hadn't explored in so long.

Once he'd set her down, Jay's hands moved to her thighs, sliding up the material until he reached closer to the fastening on her jeans. His fingers were sloppy with the zipper, and it almost frustrated him. Erin sensed his struggle, and she brought down a hand to help him. Or at least he _thought_ it was to help him.

Instead she brought his hand up to the upper half of her body with her own, keeping her grip firm.

Her face was flush and she laughed, throwing her head back slightly. "I'm getting too old to have sex on the kitchen counter."

"Old?" He leaned in close to kiss her shoulder, if he remembered correctly it was one of her weak spots. He had, noticing her mouth falling into the smallest 'o'. "Old? Don't even use such a word."

She fought her lips to move, to form some words. "Jay, the girls are _literally_ in the next room."

"So?" He pushed any of her remaining curls back behind her ear, his hand descending the length of her body when he was done. "I can be quiet." Jay bent to the side slightly, brushing first his stubble against her face before whispering in her ear. "Don't know if I can say the same for you." The words left his mouth and then his tongue did, circling the shape of her ear before he stood again to face her.

He had no control of his hands now, but she didn't seem to care. Erin's breathing hitched as she felt his palms play with the material of her clothes: even through the thin fabric, his fingers felt hot on her skin.

"I'm… _serious_." Erin spoke through gritted teeth, but she didn't sound convinced. Her body language told Jay otherwise, he could see her fighting not to cry out as his hands roamed her figure.

"So am I." His eyes narrowed and he inched closer to her face again. Jay reached both of his arms around her back, pulling her closer to the edge of the counter. He traced his growing beard in a line beneath her jaw, listening as the smallest of moans escaped her mouth.

As if the urge to have her was too much for him, and the bulging in his own jeans was growing by the second, Jay managed to finally work the fastening of her jeans. The waistband of her pants was around her thighs before she'd managed to say anything.

Beneath the material of her jeans, she was already ready and waiting for him. He knew she'd been lying, this was _exactly_ what she'd wanted. Her mouth formed an 'o' again as Jay slipped tantalizing fingers between her thighs. Heat pooled in her core with each of his gentle strokes.

He watched the expression on her face as he continued his rhythm, and suddenly she opened her eyes to look at him. She grabbed hold of him for support.

Erin just about managed words. "You…win," Her breathing was baited, and she helped him pull the remaining material down her legs. She hadn't anticipated having sex this morning, obviously having no idea this was about to happen so she cussed at herself for not preparing her body for him. He didn't seem to care about her leg hair though, it was probably the furthest thing from his mind. It was her turn to whisper. "But not _here_." Erin positioned her head to nod towards the staircase outside the room, and Jay altered his position to lift her again.

He seemed to know what she was getting at, fucking her on the kitchen counter wasn't exactly the reunion he pictured with Erin Lindsay. Yeah, it was _hot_ but there was a serious risk of-

"Mommy, me and Zoey are hungry!" The next thing he knew, tiny hands had appeared around the door and the familiar sound of his eldest daughter filled the air.

Being thankful his back was to Daisy, Jay groaned. He watched as Erin's eyes widened before she pulled her knees up to her chin. She was thankful they hadn't been in a more compromising position, and she shot Jay a look before turning back to her daughter.

She suddenly felt like a bad mom, forgetting that she was half way through preparing dinner when Hannah had arrived. _The girls hadn't been fed yet._ Her cheeks flushed, they had probably already done so but she felt them redden even more.

Daisy spoke again before Erin had the chance to apologize. "Mommy, why are your pants on the floor?" By now she'd come into the room, her gaze shifting between both her parents. She seemed to find the situation funny though, giggling behind her tiny palm.

Erin's hands flew to hide her face, even though her daughter obviously didn't know what was going on she was totally embarrassed. She fought with herself, racking her brain to think of an excuse to give her. "Um, Mommy spilled tea on them, I took them off so I wouldn't burn myself." She chewed her lip, it was pathetic but hopefully believable enough for her four year old.

"Oh, okay." Apparently it was. Daisy's attention shifted onto Jay. He felt rude for having his back to her, but he couldn't exactly turn around. Now _that_ would raise questions. "Daddy, can you come and play?"

"Of course Dais," He spoke over his shoulder, breathing deeply. "I'll come in five minutes?"

"Yeah, and Mommy will make your dinner. Is that okay?" Erin was glad her usually inquisitive offspring seemed satisfied with their short conversation.

"That sounds good Mommy!" Daisy nodded her agreement then ran from the room, much to the slight relief of her parents.

Jay adjusted the material of his jeans, turning slowly to face her. He laughed, looking at just how flushed her face was. "Close call,"

"Too close! You're not allowed to do that again." Erin gripped the side of the counter tight, before lowering herself to the ground. "Not in the kitchen, anyway."

"Do what? I think you'll have to remind me," He watched as her feet touched the floor again, and stood close to her. He cupped her almost naked ass and pushed his crotch into her.

She laughed, knowing their daughter had interrupted at the most inappropriate of times. Now, her attention was focused on fixing the girls something to eat. But if he continued what he was doing, it wouldn't be for long and she'd get super distracted again.

"Enough," She rested her head against his chest, and slapped his upper arm teasingly. "Now go and play with your daughters."

Jay knew his fun was over, at least for the minute. She was right, the girls needed their food. He willed his body away from her, brushing his lips against her forehead. "Yes Ma'am." It was hard to turn away from her, but the only people he'd turn away from her for were his little girls. And they wanted his attention right now. He padded through the hallway into the lounge. "Alright girls, what are we playing?"

They were both dressed in Daisy's dress-up costumes, although Jay wasn't sure _exactly_ what they were playing. Though they were sporting princess dresses, they were also holding handcuffs and Zoey was wearing a cop hat. And they'd recruited the dog: Jasper was apparently part of the game, his tail wagging as the girls teased him with the props.

 _Poor thing_ though Jay as he entered the room. He strolled to the back of the room where his daughters were.

"We're playing cops and robbers, Daddy!" Zoey threw a pair of handcuffs into the air, a little too enthusiastically and Jay reached to catch them. "Did you want to play?"

"Oh, absolutely! What does Daddy have to do?" It looked as though the girls had made their own rules to whatever they were playing, cops and robbers didn't explain the princess dresses.

Daisy and Zoey whispered to each other for a minute, taking turns to look at Jay to see if he would figure out what he was saying. He didn't of course, they were too quiet for him to hear.

They broke apart. "Okay, Daddy," Daisy walked towards him. It still made him feel soft inside when she addressed him that way, it was slowly becoming part of her daily vocabulary and it made him happy. "Me and Zoey are the princesses and you have to rescue us from the robber!" She pointed behind her towards Jasper, whose ears pricked at the sound of his name. "Are you ready?"

He reached to grab Daisy's pretend police cap from the floor. "Oh you bet I am!" He played along in their make believe until Erin shouted from the kitchen.

"Girls, I think your dinner's ready," Jay knew he heard Erin shouting, but the girls weren't listening. They were so engrossed in the game, so he intervened- still in cop role of course. He scooted past Jasper and took them both into his arms. They erupted into giggles as he carried them into the kitchen.

She turned around just at the right time, watching as he carried Daisy and Zoey into the kitchen.

He was actually the _perfect_ Dad to them. Here he was, muscles protruding as he balanced a girl on each arm, laughing with them and modelling one of Daisy's hats on his head. He was amazing with them, just _amazing._

He was just disappointed that Erin had retrieved her jeans from the floor and was wearing them again.

They ran free from his grip when they spied the pizza on the table. Erin knew she shouldn't give them pizza through the week, but she'd essentially forgotten to feed them and thought they deserved it. With all the playing they'd done whilst she'd been _preoccupied_ they were bound to be starving. And they looked it, taking the smallest bites from their slices straight away.

He walked over to the spot she was occupying, standing next to the counter and snaking an arm around her back. He drew patterns on her shirt with his finger, little enough movements so the girls couldn't yet see. There was nothing he wanted more than to go back to their moment before, so he could finish it properly this time but the serene scene of his daughters in front of him was enough for now.

But the look she gave was killing him, her eyes smiling on their own without him having to look at her actual smile. Given everything that happened between them the last few weeks, Jay swore it was the happiest he'd seen her. He peeled himself away from her, moving towards where the girls were sitting at the table. Jay worked a way around the table, stealing bites from each of the girl's food.

"Hey Daddy!"

"Give that back Daddy!" But they both giggled.

"Will you _stop_ stealing their food?" Erin raised her eyebrows at him, folding her arms across her chest. She didn't sound serious though, but the fact she was attempting to be authoritative was hot.

Jay shrugged. "Hey, I've been at work all day! I'm a hungry man!" _And I am not just hungry for food_ he wanted to add.

"Then make yourself some food," Erin's eyes darted towards the refrigerator. "And stop stealing their pizza!"

He threw his arms up, as if in surrender. "Okay, _okayyy._ " Jay sauntered back the side of the kitchen he'd came from. He wasn't in the mood for a meal, in fact the tiny bites from the pizza was enough for now.

Both he and Erin watched as the girls finished their food, the hard outer crusts in a pile on their dishes. It seemed as though their dinner had only given them more energy to play. The Detectives watched as Daisy ran from her side of the table around to the other where Zoey was seated. She whispered something, and Zoey's face lit up immediately.

"Can we play hide and go seek?" They asked, simultaneously.

Erin groaned, knowing it was one of Daisy's favorite games. If she got into it, they would be playing for hours. And God only knew how long the game would last, if she'd recruited Zoey too.

"Daisy, you just ate! Don't you want to sit for a bit?"

 _Who was she kidding?_ Daisy wouldn't want to sit still, she was four and always had the most energy. It seemed Zoey was the same.

"No Mommy hide and seek, hide and seek!"

"Daisy, no! You just had pizza! Jay, back me up here-"

He shrugged, turning his back towards the girls. He moved to cover his eyes with his palms. "One, two…"

The girls ran away, attempting to hush their laughter but not doing a good job of it.

"Three.."

"Jay, are you kidding me? Quit it!"

"Four…" He continued, his hands hovering in front of his face but he was smirking.

"I swear, I'm gonna kill you. She's gonna be so full of energy just before bed time!"

"Five," He turned towards her, now the girls had escaped from the room. "I'm not sure if you're familiar with the rules of hide and seek, Erin. You're _supposed_ to be hiding from me."

"Jay!"

"Six, seven…"

"I am _not_ playing hide and seek! I have so much to do!"

He moved his hands forward and sneaked a look at her from the corner of his eyes. His smirk only got bigger. "Eight…you're running out of time."

"I'm-"

" _Nine_."

Erin eventually ran from the room, Jay listened to her footsteps until he couldn't hear any more. _Upstairs, she'd ran up the stairs._

"Ten." He spoke aloud to himself and moved to the hallway. "Ready or not, here I come!"

He started in the lounge, playing along with the girls for a while before he really started looking. The lounge area was quiet so he started up the stairs.

Though he was quiet, Jay still struggled to hear the girls and their laughter, he'd been sure that he could figure their hiding spot by their giggles. So far though, everything was silent. He padded through into the bathroom, jumping behind the door. They weren't hiding in the bathroom.

He went into Daisy's bedroom next, his head tilting around the door. He heard laughter as soon as he entered the room, looking upon the strange lump that was causing the comforter to move up and down. Jay crept closer towards the bed, hearing the laughter getting louder.

Quickly he pulled back the blanket, revealing the girls who were already in a fit of giggles. He couldn't help but join with the laughter, it was contagious.

"Yay, you found us Daddy! Did you find Mommy?"

"I didn't yet, Dais. Are you guys gonna help me find her?"

They didn't answer but laughed again. Zoey pointed her finger to the bottom of Daisy's closet.

"In there?" Jay mouthed, pointing in the same direction his younger daughter just had. They both nodded.

He padded across the carpet, grabbing for the handle when he was close enough in reach. He threw back the doors of Daisy's closet, scanning the rail of her clothes before looking in the bottom. Aside from a _lot_ of clothes and shoes, the closet didn't contain anything else.

More giggling came from behind him.

"Silly Daddy," Zoey spoke between her laughter. "We can't help you really."

"Yeah, Mommy says that's cheating. Daddy you have to find her all by yourself!" Daisy joined in.

 _Cheating? In hide and go seek? His daughters were growing up too quickly, they weren't supposed to know the rules of games yet. What happened to playing for fun?_

He grimaced, and nodded knowing he'd obviously have to try and find her to finish the game. The girls followed him further across the hall into Erin's bedroom. He scanned the room for movement, the only thing so far he noticed was the ceiling fan: rotating in circles and cooling the room.

"Erin?" Jay moved into the room, his feet colliding with the softness of the carpet. He quickly checked beneath her vanity, behind the doorframe and on the other side of her bed.

"Mommy's good at hide and go seek!" Daisy wore a small frown on her forehead. "Did you check the other bedroom, Daddy?"

"I didn't, will you girls check there for me?" They didn't seem to mind the cheating this time, running from the room and towards the other bedroom. Jay turned his attention back to Erin's closet, the large built-in one that took up an entire wall of her room. It had been _torturous_ getting them in there. The side of one of the doors was slightly ajar. "You can come out now, I found you."

Erin's hand appeared first, then her arm slowly came into his view. She slid the door along enough to wiggle free from her hiding place. Her hair was even messier than before, but she was working it. She slowly stood from her crouching position and met him in the middle of the room.

"You found me, huh?"

He cupped her face, his thumb tracing a swirling pattern around her lower jaw. "Yeah, I found you." He repeated, before moving his thumb to trail slowly along her lower lip. Soon he replaced it with his lips, pressing them sensitively upon her own. Jay started slowly, before widening his mouth and allowing his tongue to create dances with her own.

Erin gripped the material on the lower back of his shirt. It was thick between her fingers, too much between them for her liking.

"Wait," she backed away from him, turning her back and walking towards the door. "Wait right here."

Jay was temporarily frozen, shocked that she'd ruined the moment so quickly. _Two_ times too many tonight. But before he thought too much into it, she was back. And she closed- locked- her bedroom door behind her.

"Where did you-"

"Candy," She stuck her thumb out towards the other room. "I gave them candy, and they're watching a movie. They should be distracted a while."

Jay laughed a bit. "Candy? You gave them _more_ sugar? You don't think they're hyper enou-"

"Are you going to waste this time on a fight about candy?" Erin started towards him, fiddling with the buttons on the front of her shirt.

"Oh, absolutely _not_." His eyes grew wide as she closed the space between them. His tongue slid along his lower lip before it disappeared through the slit of his mouth. "Where were we?"

"I think I remember," There was little volume in Erin's words, but he didn't struggle to hear.

She reached the spot where he was standing, dropping her arms to the side of her body so he could finish undressing her himself. He began with the shirt, the one that was already revealing half of her stomach. Jay worked quickly to pop open the rest of the fastening, sliding the shirt down her arms to leave her bra on display. Her jeans were his next obstacle; Jay didn't struggle this time, and he slid his hands down her legs as the material left her skin. His touch left her hot and tingling and soon she was before him in her underwear.

"Erin," Her name was the only thing that he could manage, the only thing that left his lips. His arms moved to around her waist and he lifted her easily, taking a firm grip on her ass and backing them both towards the bed.

Jay spun around fast, lowering her so she lay before him on the mattress. Soon he was above her, roaming her body with his fingers and lips at the same time. The bristles of his beard grazed her bare skin as she lay beneath him. he backed away, just enough time to pull the shirt from his torso. He threw it on the carpet with such force it was as though the material burned him, and he wanted rid of it.

She watched for a second as he played with her body, but soon reached for the belt and fastening of his work jeans. She thought it unfair that so much of her was on show, and he was still half clothed. Erin leaned forward, forcing Jay to temporarily slow his movements as she stripped him free from clothes. Before long, it was solely the slight material of underwear that was parting them.

Erin couldn't deny the tug she felt for him, deep in her soul. It was more than physical, – although it did indeed help that he'd aged well in the past five years- more than just the blind attraction that she fought away. Her feeling for him was _so_ much deeper, so much more real than anything she'd ever expected or experienced.

Now it kind of scared her, more than she was going to admit. Sure, he wasn't with Hannah any longer but that didn't take away from the fact they hadn't seen each other in so long and suddenly things were _almost_ back to how they were. The thought that she loved him, even after those five years, made her palms sweaty and her heart beat faster. Those feelings had almost flooded back to her, she already remembered how completely and irrevocably besotted she was with him.

He'd eased them both free from underwear as she'd been lost in her thoughts, and soon he'd separated her legs, kissing her as he slid deep inside. Her heart practically turned inside her as she pulled him close, opening her mouth, body, mind and soul to him.

He sensed she was distracted. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," she struggled to throw the words from her mouth in between the other noises erupting from the back of her throat. His slow and gentle strokes brought a sigh from her lips. Erin lifted her hips to meet him, running her hands the length of his back, adoring the texture of his skin. She wanted to memorize every curve of muscle, or rather _rememorize_ every curve.

Jay smiled against her ear. "You're sure?"

She nodded, her whole body tightening. "Positive."

He took her word for it, drawing softly out and pressing back in again until a gasp left her mouth. A smile twisted his mouth and he kissed her again. Drew out and back.

Erin trailed her fingers through the hair at the nape of his beck, pulling him closer if that was a possibility. She kissed him again and again as they made love. The words- those words he'd said to her earlier in the evening- hovered on her lips, but something held her back. A fear of a mixture of things in their life that swirled into a ball in her mind and scared her.

If she allowed herself to fall all the way in love with him and he woke one day to realize she wasn't the same person she was five years ago, she wasn't sure her heart could survive the loss. She couldn't give him all of her until she knew for sure she was what he _really_ wanted.

She could still show him what she felt instead. Erin took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply, before rolling them over.

It took Jay by surprise at first, but soon his hands were gripping either side of her waist. His hands roamed the lower lines of her stomach, feeling an area just below her navel.

"What's this?" His fingers traced a slightly bumpy scar there, the only part of her skin a lighter color than usual.

"That's, not _important_." She fought to grab his attention away from it, cupping his jaw in her hands. She rocked her hips above his, and he moaned.

"Tell me," He lifted himself up on his elbows.

She sighed, his fingers still padding the outline of her mark. "It's…I got it when I had Daisy."

His brow softened, a look of concern spreading onto his face. "Erin-"

She smiled, gazing into his pupils. "Hey, it's fine. It doesn't even bother me. I'd do it all again if it meant I got Daisy at the end." Before he fought to speak again, she pressed her lips over his. He got into it, pulling them both backwards so she was lying on top of him.

Through their kisses, he didn't say anything else and it slightly worried her. unlike him, she could recall the last time they'd slept together and (no matter how drunk they'd been) he definitely wasn't this quiet.

"Jay, tell me what's on your mind."

"You, it's always you on my mind." His response sent shivers down her spine. Along with the feel of his finger running the length of her back, it was enough to send her over the edge. Erin nuzzled her head against his chest as he continued. "I lost you once, I can't lose you again."

She spoke against his skin. "You won't lose me."

"But how do I know that?" Jay sat up, but refused to drop his grip of her. "You never told me about _this_ ," Pointing to the scar. "You could have-"

"I didn't. I didn't, Jay." She wasn't used to him being the emotional one, lately she'd been the one to lose it and cry a lot. "Listen, if we ever get separated again, it won't be because of me."

He didn't respond, but the nod of his head showed he was listening.

"…Because I think I'm in love with you too."

 **Please Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

" _Okay_ ," Jay retreated, resting against the pillows and leaning with his hands behind his head. "Now I really have to go."

"You do?" Erin was a little taken back, he'd been into it before.

"Hey, you know how much I want to stay," he groaned. "But Zoey should probably be in her own bed tonight."

"I guess you're right." She rolled from her bed, walked to the vanity and wrapper her bathrobe around herself. Then she watched as Jay did the same, but with his clothes she'd so carelessly disregarded on the floor a few hours ago.

He threw his T-shirt over his head, then ran a hand through his messy hair. When he looked over at Erin, she was already looking at him, but with a look of apprehension on her face.

Jay frowned. "What's up, Er?"

She bit her lip, a corner of it disappearing underneath her teeth. "You don't regret that, do you?"

He moved quickly to her side of the room. "Oh my God, are you _kidding_?" Both his hands cupped her face. "This has never felt so right." Jay let his lips brush lightly against her own. "I want this-"

"Me too, but you just broke up with your wife. And the last time this happened between us, you couldn't remember it. And the girls-"

He knew the girls were main priority. They were bound to be confused, so they had to be sure what they wanted.

Jay moved one of his hands to her cheek and smiled when she leaned into it. "So, we'll take things slow. We make sure this is what we both want. We figure it out before we tell the girls." He paused and she nodded. "But, what happened tonight isn't going to affect my handiwork on this place," he laughed. "I mean, my masterpiece is almost finished, I'm not about to stop now."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Thank God, because I couldn't have done any of this without you. Seriously Jay, this house is a dream, I can't thank you enough for it."

"If you keep singing my praises, I'm never going to leave."

"Well damn, you figured out my plan." She laughed.

He chuckled and returned her embrace. He had to move the conversation to something work-related, or he was never going to leave.

"So, what time tomorrow? What will I be working on?"

"Sure, I'll pick up the girls." She paused, as if to survey the room. "I think we're good with the pain job. But I could use a hand to build the furniture."

"Er, what room needs furniture?"

She laughed, knowing Jay was probably more concerned with the decorating, rather than the interior. "Actually, if the weather plays nice, we could work on the garden. I want to pick up kids' furniture for the girls."

He grinned. "That's an awesome idea, Er. I might try and cut out early, so we can head to the store."

"Jay, you don't have to do that. I don't want us to interfere with your job."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He rolled his eyes. "Hank is probably sick to death of me cutting out early. I can't believe he hasn't said anything about it."

"Oh, it's probably coming," Erin smirked. "About that work thing… I don't know if I'm actually ready to go back."

"Really?" He asked, slightly confused. Erin, as much as he knew, had always loved her job. "Is everything okay?"

"No no, it's nothing like that," she assured. "I just feel like I'll miss out on the girls growing up. I _love_ my time with them, Jay. I don't know if I'm ready to give that up yet."

"I know that feeling," he nodded. "I get it. I don't know what the girls would do without you either."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you for understanding. I thought you might be pissed at me."

"Er, I'm anything but. It's not up to me whether you go back or not," He pulled apart, but not before kissing into her hair. "You do you, babe."

She laughed. "Well, I'll try." She watched as he backed away and followed him through the door and along the hallway. "Jay, they're really quiet. If Zoey is sleeping, you should just stay."

For a second, he thought she might be right. But as he neared Daisy's bedroom, he heard the faintest of giggles. "Did you really think they'd be sleeping? After all the sugar you've fed them tonight?"

She slapped his arm. "Hey, are you complaining right now?"

His mind flashed back to what they'd been doing half an hour ago. "Oh, absolutely _not_." He grinned, pushing an elbow against the bedroom door. "Zoey, are you ready to go home now?"

"Yes, Daddy." Zoey said sleepily, turning as he came into the room. She lifted her arms to him and Jay picked her up.

"Are you coming back tomorrow, Daddy?" Daisy turned around then, her eyes wide as she stared at her father.

"Of course, Dais. Zoey will see you at school, and I'll see you when I'm finished at work," he replied. With Zoey still in his arms, he bent to kiss Daisy on the forehead. "Night Daisy, I love you."

"Love you too Daddy, I see you tomorrow! Bye Zoey!" she waved.

"See you at school, Daisy!" Zoey waved back.

Jay started out of the room, feeling Erin's presence behind him. She followed him down the stairs and towards the front door of her house. Jay lowered Zoey to the floor. "Where are your shoes? Did you leave them in the kitchen?"

The little girl frowned, searching around the floor. "Yes, I think I did Daddy!" She ran in search of them.

He took the opportunity to kiss Erin goodbye, reaching for her face and lowering himself to her lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Drive safe," she murmured against his touch.

"I always do," he laughed. Zoey ran back to where they were standing, complete with shoes and jacket. "Bye, Er."

"Bye Erin!" Zoey waved. "Are you picking me up from school tomorrow?"

Erin gave her a soft smile. "Of course sweetie, you know I always do."

Jay picked up his youngest daughter and headed towards the door. He felt Erin's eyes still on them, whilst he walked to the car. He fastened Zoey into her booster and got into the car himself, waving at the beautiful girl at the door before pulling away from her house.

He knew he was going to have to talk to Zoey about Hannah, even though she seemed happy spending time with Erin he didn't want to keep her away from her mother. That wouldn't do any good for any of them in the long-term.

His hand turned down the car radio and he turned to Zoey, surprised she was still awake. "Zo-bo?"

She'd been looking out of the window, the lights from the street glowing onto her face. "What Daddy?"

"Should we talk about Mommy?" He asked quietly.

"Okay," Zoey turned towards him, a sense of uneasiness in her hushed voice. "Is she mad at me, Daddy?"

His heart tugged. "No, of course not baby." He reached his hand to her booster and stroked against her cheek. "She just wants to see you."

"So is she coming back to see me?" Zoey asked, her eyes opening wide.

"Of course, Mommy would love to see you." He focused his eyes again on the road. "But I don't think she'll be living back in the house."

"Then where will she live Daddy?"

"I think Mommy might get a new place, wont that be fun?" He tried to be enthusiastic for her, made it try to sound like an adventure. Deep down though, this wasn't what he'd wanted for Zoey. He'd wanted her to grow up in the family house, but he could never have anticipated the events that had happened the past few weeks.

"Yes," Zoey replied, although Jay knew she wasn't convinced. Then she added quietly "But will I still get to see Erin? And Daisy?"

 _That's what was bothering her_. "Zoey, you can still see Erin and Daisy whenever you want to, okay? Mommy just needs time with you too."

"Okay, Daddy." She seemed satisfied with his reply and went back to looking out of the window.

He exhaled, realizing the conversation had gone much better than he'd expected. From Zoey's reaction in Erin's kitchen earlier, Jay had been fully prepared for the little girl to put up a fight. But perhaps the moment in the kitchen had caught her off guard, she hadn't in fact seen her Hannah in person for a few weeks.

Zoey agreeing to see Hannah was the start. The start of him being able to keep all of his girls happy.

She was sleeping by the time they reached home. Jay killed the engine after he'd pulled onto the driveway and unbuckled her from the booster. Her soft breathing tickled his neck as he carried them into the house.

It was quiet with it being just the two of them, even more silent with Zoey being asleep. Jay kicked off his boots and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. She didn't even wriggle when he was changing her out of clothes into pyjamas.

He wrapped her gently in the comforter and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight Daddy, I love you." She whispered into the darkness.

"I love you too, Zoey." He walked from the room and shut the door behind him.

He climbed into his own bed, resting his arms behind his head. So many thoughts circled his brain Jay was fairly certain he wouldn't be going to sleep any time soon.

At least he'd eventually had the chance to tell Erin how he felt. Not exactly how he'd planned to do so, Hannah had got there before him, but still he was glad she knew.

And elated that she felt the same way.

But they still had a hell of a lot to figure out.

And he had a sneaking feeling that the reasons how to figure that out would be the only thing on his mind for the next few days.

* * *

"Good morning Daddy!" He woke up to his youngest daughter slapping her fingers against his face.

He glanced up towards his alarm clock: 6:30. Zoey was right on cue. Even given how tired she looked last night, she seemed to be wide awake this morning. _Like she always was._

She'd woken him up before his alarm, but he could never be angry. He'd signed up for no more late lie-ins the minute she was born. Jay sat up on his pillows and pulled her into an embrace.

"Hey, Zoey. Let's go get breakfast," He climbed from bed himself and led her by the hand down the stairs. "What do you feel like eating?"

"I want Lucky Charms!" She suddenly shouted.

He groaned. "Zo, I don't think we have any…"

A furrow spread across her eyebrows. "Silly Daddy, Erin would have some!"

"Yeah, you're probably right." He replied. "How about toast?"

"No."

"Oats?"

"No."

"Sugar Puffs?"

" _No_." She glared at him. "I want Lucky Charms!"

Jay sucked in a breath, she was usually in a good mood in the mornings. Today was a different story, and she didn't usually test him like this. "Zoey, we haven't got any. What do you want Daddy to do? I don't have time to go and get some. Now what do you want for breakfast?"

She looked at him so wide-eyed and he suddenly felt guilty for almost losing his temper. He exhaled a deep breath, he didn't usually let her but today he was going to offer. "How about Toaster Pastry?"

Zoey nodded, and climbed upon one of the chairs at the table. "Please, Daddy." Her words were little more than a whisper.

Jay frowned, hadn't she been fine when she'd woken him this morning? He popped the pastry, put them in her favorite dish and placed them down in front of her.

His daughter ate quietly, nibbling at the edges of her breakfast. Jay stood watching her from the counter. She was _never_ this quiet.

"Zoey," he walked over to where she was sitting. "Are you okay?"

"I had a nightmare Daddy." She whispered.

He felt like an ass for shouting. He kicked himself for not knowing something was up with her right away. "You did? What happened?"

Zoey shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it, Daddy."

He lifted her from the chair into his arms. One of his fingers stroked her cheek. "You don't want to tell me what happened?"

"No," She tucked herself into his body. "I just want to forget about it Daddy. Can you help me get ready for school?"

"Of course, baby." He kissed against her cheek and carried her back upstairs. "Why don't you go brush your teeth?"

"Okay," she scurried into the bathroom. "Can I wear my pink sneakers today?" She called from around the corner.

"Sure," He walked over to her closet. _Pink sneakers. That meant she had to wear something to go with them_. He groaned, what did he know about what little girls were supposed to wear? This is why he needed a woman's input. He picked her out a pair of jeans and a floral T-shirt.

She ran back into her bedroom, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She pulled her mouth open with her fingers. "Are they all clean Daddy?"

"Perfect," he laughed, sliding the door of her closet shut. Jay helped her into her clothes, then put socks on her little feet. "Did you want to watch TV for a little bit whilst Daddy gets dressed?"

She nodded, running back towards the stairs.

"Hey, no running next to the stairs Zo!" He shouted from the bedroom.

"Oops, sorry Daddy!" She shouted, before making her way to the lower level of the house. He waited until he could hear the familiar tones of her cartoons before he jumped in the shower.

Jay hurried to wash himself and get himself dressed, hoping if he was quick he would have a little time to sit with her before they had to leave.

When he was dressed he found her sitting on the couch, hypnotized by her favorite characters on TV. She looked up when she heard him.

"Daddy, did you know its Daisy's birthday next week? She's going to be _five_."

He frowned, Erin hadn't mentioned it. Not that they'd done _that_ much talking last night. "She is? Did Erin tell you that?"

"No, Daisy did. Is she going to have a party? Can we go?"

"I don't know about the party, baby. But we'll definitely see her. You can talk with her about what she's doing, you'll see her at school!"

"Okay Daddy," she paused. "So Daisy is my _big_ sister?"

"That's right, because she's older than you. Her birthday is before yours."

"Is it nearly my birthday, Daddy? Is my birthday right after Daisy's?" she quizzed.

He smiled. "Not yet pumpkin, it'll be Christmas before we have your birthday. We have to wait until the summertime for you to turn five."

She frowned for a second, confused with the time periods. "Daddy, we have to buy Daisy a present!"

"I know," he replied. "But we aren't going to do that right now, we have to get you to school. Where are your shoes?"

"Silly Daddy, they're on my feet!" She swung her legs from underneath her, revealing her sneakers.

"Oh, so they are." Jay walked from the room and he heard her following. He reached to the coat hooks and took her jacket from its resting place and helped her on with it. Then he worked the zipper on his own jacket, held her hand and walked towards the car.

He held her hand towards the school gate. "So," he bent to her level when they were inside. "Erin will pick you up from school, okay? And I'll see you when I'm finished at work." Jay spread his arms and Zoey hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Okay," she let go and ran towards the building. "Love you!" She shouted back.

"Love you, too." He shouted before going back to his car.

* * *

Erin arrived for the girls a bit early so she sat in the driver's seat and listened to the radio. A text pinged on her cell.

 _Hey. Just a warning, Zoey wasn't herself this morning. Says she had a nightmare but didn't want to talk about it. So she might seem a little bit off with you. See you tonight. Jx_

She frowned at the screen, rereading the words. So if Zoey wasn't herself, she'd be careful to take it easy on her. Erin jumped from the car and walked towards the school building, locking the Jeep behind her.

Jay's text stuck in her mind as she waited for the girls to come out of Miss Kirsty's class. They were the last to come out, but holding hands like always. Zoey looked far from who Jay had described in his text. She had the widest grin on her face, skipping towards Erin with her sister.

"Hey girls, did you have fun at school?" Erin spoke as they reached her.

"Yes Mommy!"

"We did!"

She took a girl into each hand and led them towards the car. She strapped them in with the seat-belts and they immediately began babbling away to each other about their day. It made Erin laugh, they were practically together every day and didn't tire of each other's company.

As soon as Erin reached home, the girls were straight into the lounge and towards the toy-box. It looked as though they had already planned what they were going to play.

"Hey, what do you girls want for dinner?" She shouted before they ran away. When she didn't get an answer, she continued. "How about fish sticks and fries?"

"Yes please, Mommy."

"Yummy, Erin!"

She left them occupied and went into the kitchen, pulling off her shoes and leaving them in the hallway. She knew their meal didn't take a while to prepare so Erin made a coffee and sat at the table.

"Erin?" She heard a voice coming from the doorway.

"Zoey?" She turned to see the little girl standing by the counter. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Could I get a juice-box, please?" she asked, her tone full of innocence.

"Of course Zo, you don't have to ask!" Erin got up anyway, reaching into the fridge for one. She poked the straw through and handed it to Zoey, but the little girl didn't move. Instead, she stayed glued to where she stood and took small slurps from the juice-box.

Erin frowned. "Talk to me, Zo. Are you okay?"

Zoey continued to drink the juice, staying quiet.

"Your Daddy said you had a bad dream last night, did you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head at first then stopped and nodded. Erin lowered herself to Zoey's height.

"It was about my Mommy."

"What happened?" Erin asked softly.

"She took me away from you and Daddy." Zoey chewed on the straw.

 _Crap._ Erin didn't want her to think of Hannah like this, even given the kitchen showdown yesterday. "Zoey, that's never going to happen, I promise. Your Mommy just wants to see you. Don't you want to see Mommy, too?"

"I do. But can I come back to Daddy when I want to?" Her eyes, the same green shade as Jay's, stared into Erin's.

Erin's heart ached. "Of course you can, sweetie. But I think it's a good idea if you see Mommy too. Maybe you can see her next week?"

Zoey nodded. "But she won't try to take me away, will she Erin?"

"No," she stroked Zoey's rosy cheek. "Your Daddy won't let that happen." _And neither will I_ she thought about adding.

"Okay," Zoey put the empty juice carton on the counter and hugged Erin's legs. "I'm gonna go play now."

Erin ran her hand through her Zoey's silky hair. "Okay babe," she said. "I'll come and get you and your sister when your dinner is ready."

She watched as Zoey ran back through into the lounge and turned to the counter, finding their food to cook. She stood over the stove and waited for their food to finish cooking.

Her mind was so focused on preparing their fish sticks that she didn't hear the kitchen door opening again. Didn't hear the floorboards creaking. Didn't feel anything until an arm snaked around her waist.

"I don't think your dinner is ready yet-" She spun, expecting to see one of the girls. Instead, she saw Jay. Erin tore her eyes off him and glanced at the clock. _Definitely_ not time for him to be home yet. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"I cut out early," he laughed, letting his lips graze against her neck.

She groaned. "You've got to stop doing that."

"This? I thought you liked it." He murmured.

" _No_ , I don't mean that. You can keep doing that," she grinned. "I meant you can't keep cutting work early."

"So, shoot me." He replied. "I wanted to get back to my girls." He peppered kisses along her jaw until he reached her lips. There, he deepened his movement and took a step into her.

"I have…to cook…their _food_." Her head tilted.

"Hmm. I'm pretty sure the oven is doing that for you," he whispered as he pushed her against the counter.

She laughed. "Jay, have you even said hello to them?" Erin raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't," he replied.

"Then _go_ and do that," Erin swatted his bicep with a dishcloth. "While _I_ make their dinner."

He peeled himself away. "Okay," he smirked.

When he walked out of the kitchen, Erin fanned a hand in front of her face. What was it with that man and his ability to make her so flustered with the touch of his lips? He drove her _crazy_.

Jay still wasn't back in the kitchen by the time Daisy and Zoey's dinner was ready. She called all three of them through when she'd made up the plates.

He followed his daughters into the room and stood at the counter, watching as Erin cut up the fish sticks for the girls. She made her way back to him and leaned against the counter.

"I got roped into a game of moms and dads," He groaned.

She laughed but then her tone was low. "Zoey told me about her dream,"

"She did?" Jay glanced over at the youngest of his daughters. "What did she say?"

"Said it was about Hannah," Erin looked over at her too, glad that she'd spoken to her. "She said she dreamt that her Mom took her away from you."

Jay rubbed his forehead. "Woah," he said. "Do you think it had something to do with what happened here yesterday?"

"I'm not sure," Erin replied. "But I did tell her that everything was going to be okay. And I said you would never let that happen. And I suggested that she see her Mom sometime next week. I think she agreed to it."

Jay smiled and pushed one of Erin's curls behind her ear. "You're incredible," he sighed.

"Well, I do try." She smirked.

"Are you still wanting to head to the store?" Jay questioned. "I know you wanted to pick up that garden stuff."

"Yeah," Erin nodded. "We can go when the girls are finished? Hopefully they're feeling full so they'll sit in the shopping cart."

"That's wishful thinking," he laughed. "You know these two never seem to get tired."

"You're right," she joined his laughter. Erin pushed herself from the counter and walked to the table where Zoey and Daisy were sitting. "Are you girls finished? We're gonna head to the store with Daddy."

"What for, Mommy?"

"Yeah, why Erin?"

"We're gonna get some play things for the garden," she watched as the girls smiled at her. "Now can you get your shoes on please?"

They both ran from the room at the same time.

Jay turned to her. "Mean mom," he teased. "You're not even going to help them?"

She raised her eyebrows, slowly walking back over to him. "I wanted them out of the room so I could do this," she ran a hand over his chest and kissed him. "We're not telling them yet, remember?"

"Right," he spoke against her touch. "Yeah, I'm with you." His hands roamed her back, forcing her closer.

Erin backed away before he got too into it. She smirked. "Sorry, I gotta go and put my shoes on."

* * *

They didn't want to sit _in_ the cart, they wanted to push it. Which was fine with Erin and Jay. They followed close behind as Daisy and Zoey seemed to use all the strength in them to manoeuvre the shopping cart around the store.

"What are you looking for, Er?" Jay asked as they walked up one of the aisles.

"A swing set mainly. And maybe some garden furniture?" she replied.

"Gotcha, I think they're this way." He pointed straight ahead. He looked ahead as the girls narrowly missed knocking into somebody else's cart. "Girls, careful!"

He heard their laughter, before they both turned around at the same time. They walked from the cart and closed the gap between them and the adults.

"Daddy, I'm tired now," Zoey yawned.

"Yeah Daddy, I think it's your turn to push." Daisy agreed.

"Oh it is, is it?" He laughed, scooped them both up and put them in the seats at the front of the cart. "Is that better?"

They nodded.

Erin caught up to him and wrapped her hands around his arm. "I like the look of this one. What do you think girls?"

They turned to the side and nodded again, approving of Erin's choice.

Jay moved to the shelf and took down one of the boxes. "This one looks good, actually."

"See? I have good taste." Erin smiled.

"Oh, I didn't doubt that you did."

They continued round the aisles until Erin had what she wanted. It didn't take much longer, but felt like a lifetime to Jay.

"I'm thirsty," Daisy said as they reached the checkout.

"Me too!" Zoey copied. "Can we have juice?"

Jay groaned. He reached into his pocket and threw his car keys in Erin's direction. "I have juice boxes in the car. Here, take them and I'll meet you outside."

"You're sure you can manage?" She asked, catching the keys in mid-air.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," he smiled. "See you outside."

He watched as Erin took the girls out of the cart and held each of their hands to take them back to the car. They were a distraction to him and he wasn't listening at all to the cashier.

When he eventually turned back, it was his turn. He quickly unpacked the cart for the cashier to tag.

The cashier turned behind her to see what he was looking at, to see what was _so_ distracting.

"They're yours?" the older woman turned back to him and grinned.

"They sure are." He stated proudly.

"Well you have a beautiful family."

Jay laughed. "I do, don't I?"

 **Please Review :)**


	19. Chapter 19

"What do you think, Daddy? Do you think Daisy will like it?"

Jay put down his morning coffee and leaned forward on the couch. Zoey had spent the morning working on something for Daisy for her birthday, and she hadn't allowed Jay to look at it. Until now.

He couldn't for the life of him work out what she had created but he wasn't about to ruin Zoey's spirits. "Oh I think she's going to love it, pumpkin. You can give it to her this afternoon," he continued.

"Yay!" Zoey clapped her hands together and left her creation on the floor, climbing onto the couch next to Jay.

Despite not discussing it earlier in the week, Daisy had decided she wanted a birthday party after all and Jay had a sneaking suspicion that Zoey had something to do with it. He recalled the conversation he'd had with his younger daughter before they'd picked up garden furniture with Erin and Daisy. The one where Zoey had first mentioned a 'party'.

Daisy hadn't left her parents much time, but Erin had mentioned it to parents at school and the two of them had worked to pull things together for a party. She hadn't wanted a theme (Erin and Jay had freaked out in case she wanted the whole house in décor) but she'd decided to invite the entire class and told them all about her new house.

Which was _just_ about ready, thanks to Jay. As soon as Daisy told her friends that she wanted the party at her house, he'd worked hard to finish the remaining work that needed doing. That meant both Jay and Zoey had spent most of the week at Erin's place, but neither of them minded that at all.

Apart from the Thursday, when Zoey had spent the afternoon with Hannah. They had a few hours together, and Jay was glad she wanted to spend time with her mom, even after she'd been away for so long. They'd made an arrangement for Zoey to spend time with Hannah at the weekends, or whenever she was free; although not this weekend, Zoey had made it clear she wanted to spend Daisy's birthday weekend with her.

Zoey climbed onto Jay's lap. "What time are we going there Daddy?"

Jay checked the time on his watch. "I think in about an hour, Zo. We're gonna go early and help Erin set up for the party. Do you know what you want to wear?"

Zoey's eyebrows furrowed into a pretend frown. "I don't know, Daddy. Maybe…should I wear a dress?"

"I think that's a good idea! Why don't you go and get changed? Daddy will tidy your things and I'll get ready and then we can go."

"Okay!" She didn't need to be told twice, Jay listened to the sound of her footfall as she climbed the staircase and went into her bedroom. Jay drained the remainder of his coffee and knelt onto the floor to clean away Zoey's crafts. He stayed well away from what she'd made though, the last thing he wanted was to ruin what she'd made her sister.

Once he could see the carpet again, Jay took his empty coffee cup into the kitchen and rinsed it under the water. He left it to drain on the side before going upstairs too, and headed towards his bedroom.

He changed into jeans and a dress shirt. Though he wasn't thinking about it, he wanted to make a good impression to the rest of the parents at Erin's place. He'd hardly got to know any of them, Erin was always the one who picked the girls up from school, so he didn't know what they expected (if anything) him to be like. He ran a hand through his hair, thankful he wasn't sporting any sort of bed-head, and walked through into Zoey's bedroom.

"Are you nearly ready, pumpkin?" He asked as he opened the door.

"Nearly Daddy, can you do these buttons?" Zoey had dressed herself in a blue party dress probably meant for summer, not October, but Jay didn't have the heart to tell her to change out of it. They were only going to be in Erin's house, after all. He laughed as she twirled around in front of him.

"Of course. I like your dress Zo," he bent to her level and fastened the buttons at her back. "Did you pick out shoes too?" He stood back to normal level and watched as she nodded her head, pointing to the silver sparkly things in the corner. He should never have called it a party in front of Zoey, because he forgot how obsessed she was with them. "Good choice," he walked over to her closet and pulled out a jacket for her and a pair of tights in case she got cold later in the evening.

"They're my very favorite shoes Daddy!" Zoey ran across the room, sat on the carpet and put the shoes on her feet. She struggled with the fastening, but refused to give up or to ask for help from her father. "Ready!" she sprung back onto her feet and looked at Jay. "Are you ready too Daddy?"

"I am, shall we go?" He scooped her up to carry her downstairs, aware that most of the attention would be on Daisy today. Something Zoey probably wasn't familiar with. He let her down at the bottom of the stairs, putting on his own shoes and grabbing the keys to the car. Zoey reached for his hand as they left the house and he was just about to lift her to the booster seat-

"Wait Daddy! I forgot Daisy's dream catcher!"

 _A dream catcher. That's what it was._

"Okay," He opened the door again and waited as Zoey ran through into the lounge and picked up the present. She was back in his sight within a minute and waited again for him to help her into the car. Once she was buckled into the chair, he closed the passenger door and got into the driver's side.

As he reversed off the driveway, the radio came on automatically and Zoey turned towards him.

"What did you get Daisy, Daddy?" she asked curiously.

He drove along the road. Erin still knew his older daughter better than him so they'd clubbed together for her presents. Except to Zoey, he wasn't bringing presents with him and it looked as though he was going to the party with nothing to give her. "Daisy is getting presents from Daddy and Erin, babe. I think she'll open them when we get there."

"But which present is from you Daddy?" she asked.

His daughter was giving him the third degree and he hadn't thought of an answer. He could always make one up but he wasn't about to lie to her. "Why don't we wait and see? Look, we're almost at Erin's house now," he replied, answering her question with another question to distract her. It was true though: they were round the corner from Erin's.

"Yay!" Zoey turned her attention to focus out the window, by now familiar with the route to Erin's place. Her hands were still gripped tightly around the present she'd spent hours on this morning.

Jay pulled the car beside Erin's and quickly let his impatient daughter free from her booster. Before he'd even locked the car, Zoey had opened the door and ran into the house. He followed in her footsteps through the now open doorway but she'd already disappeared from his sight.

"Hello?" he closed the door when he got inside, wondering where she'd got to.

"In…here!" Erin's voice travelled from the kitchen.

Jay hung up his jacket in the hallway and walked through to the back of the house. The girls were crouched on the floor in the corner and Erin was almost running the length of the room, dressed in an apron and armed with a dishcloth.

"Hey," Jay laughed, watching for a second as she moved from the counter, to the table and back to the counter. "What are you doing?"

"Doing? What am I doing? This place is upside down and there's people coming around in a few hours!" She looked up eventually to Jay's surprised expression. She walked to where he was standing and stole a glance at the girls before turning towards him. "Sorry," she kissed his cheek, too far from the lips for Jay's liking. "Hi," she grinned.

"Hello," he greeted her again, sure that he'd never seen her this worked up before. Especially regarding house-work. "I thought everything was almost finished. What's up?"

Erin spoke quietly. "I forgot to get a cake," she dropped the dishcloth onto the counter. "I have the ingredients to make one, but Daisy would see."

Jay nodded, taking a quick look at his daughters to see that they were still preoccupied. "What do you need me to do?"

Erin chewed on one side of her lip. "Could you call to the mall with the girls? I don't think they'd be much of a distraction, but I don't really want to make the cake when Daisy is here and-"

"Sure," he laughed, secretly thinking the way she panicked was cute. "Come on girls, were going out for a while!" he shouted.

"Where are we going?" Daisy quizzed. "Hi Daddy!" she added, running over towards her parents.

"Hey birthday girl! We're gonna head to the mall for an hour. Okay?"

"Why Daddy?" Zoey soon joined her sister.

"So Erin can get the house ready for the party," he held the hands of both girls and walked them through into the hallway. As he watched Daisy get her shoes on, Zoey quickly ran back to the kitchen.

"Erin, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm gonna tidy the house for the party," she bent to Zoey's level and whispered. "And I think I'm going to make a cake."

Zoey gasped, looking between Erin and the hallway where she'd ran from Jay. "Can I help to do that?"

"Sure, you wanna?" Erin watched as Zoey nodded her head. "Okay, but we can't tell Daisy!" She grabbed hold of Zoey's hand and joined Jay and Daisy in the hallway. "So I think Zoey is gonna stay with me," she said out loud before whispering to Jay: "She wants to help me with the cake," she backed away from his ear. "Will you two be okay without us?"

"Oh, I think we'll be just fine," Jay grinned, retrieving Daisy's jacket from the coat hook. "I should have known she'd want to stay with you and bake," he added, out of earshot of the girls.

Daisy didn't seem too fussed that her sister wasn't joining and she waved to the two of them as she walked from the house with her dad.

"So we'll see you two in about an hour?" Erin smiled. "I think that gives me enough time," she mouthed. She waved with Zoey at the door as they drove away in Jay's car. "Okay Zoey, what are you thinking? Chocolate cake?"

"Yummy!" Zoey ran through into the kitchen before Erin. "I like chocolate cake!"

"It's one of Daisy's favorites too, sweetie." Erin walked across the kitchen and lifted a stool over to the sink. She lifted Zoey onto it. "Can you wash your hands?"

Zoey nodded her response and waited patiently for Erin to turn on the faucet. He washed her hands quickly and dried them on the nearby cloth. "Ready, Erin!" she said enthusiastically.

"Oh, that's great!" Erin helped her from the stool so she could move it to the counter for Zoey to stand on. "Your Daddy told me that you like to bake."

"I do, I do!" Zoey clasped her hands together. "What can I do?"

Erin moved towards the refrigerator to gather what she needed. She loved the little girl's enthusiasm, and the ease she felt between them when they were together. They didn't get a lot of time together just the two of them. She handed Zoey the flour and the butter. "Can you sieve this flour, Zo? Do you know how to do that?"

Zoey shot her a sassy expression which read _Duh, Erin Im a big girl!_ and waited for Erin to find her the sieve. Once she had it, Zoey set to work on the task, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. Erin started on the rest of the cake mix, keeping a careful eye on Jay's younger daughter as she stood on the stool.

"Did Daisy open her presents already, Erin?" Zoey's attention still lay on her job, but she continued the conversation with Erin all the same.

"She opened some when she woke up this morning, babe. I think there's still some to open, and I think she'll have some more after the party too," Erin replied.

"Okay," Zoey nodded, dropping the sieve onto the side. "What do I do next?"

Erin stepped towards her with the rest of the cake mix and pointed to the batter. "Why don't you mix this all together and I'll get the eggs. Do you know how to do that?"

"Yes Erin, I do!" Zoey dug her hands into the bowl and mixed everything together. "Can you do the egg bit?" she made a face.

"If you want me to," Erin walked back over towards her and moved the bowl between them. "How was your night with Mommy?" she found herself asking.

"It was okay," Zoey shrugged. "Mommy moved into a new house and I have a new bedroom. But it's not big like the one at Daddy's."

"But a new bedroom is fun, right? What color is it?"

"It's green. I don't like green very much. I like my room when it's pink," Zoey said.

"Oh I know how much you like pink. Should we put some pink sprinkles on Daisy's cake?" Erin turned the conversation away from Hannah.

"I like sprinkles! That's a good idea!"

* * *

Jay strapped Daisy into Zoey's booster and drove towards the mall.

"What are we going to the store for, Daddy?" Daisy asked as she looked out of the window. She hadn't asked whilst they were in the house, but now she seemed inquisitive.

"Mommy is gonna get the house ready for the party and I thought we could go to the mall and get you a present. Is that a good idea?"

Daisy turned towards him with an excited expression. "Oh yes please, Daddy! I would love a present!"

She was still excited when they arrived at the mall. Jay moved quickly from his side of the car to loosen the buckle on the booster. When he'd locked the car behind them, Daisy slotted her small hand into his and they walked towards the entrance.

It was his luck that the first store they came to was a toy one. Daisy practically pulled his arm from the socket when she caught sight of it. He followed her into it, watching as her eyes widened at the sight of the toys and play things in front of her.

"What sort of present do you want, Dais?"

She turned back to face him, pondering his question just for a minute. "I don't know Daddy, can we go and see?"

"Sure," he held onto her hand tighter this time and walked them further into the store. "What presents did you open this morning?" He asked, curious. He'd only been with Erin when she'd bought a couple of their daughter's gifts, unsure of what else she had.

Daisy immediately began reeling off what she'd already opened. "But I didn't open them all! I wanted to save some for when you and Zoey were here and I wanted Zoey to help me," she replied, only half paying attention to the conversation because she was overwhelmed with the toy shop.

Jay smiled down at her: the idea that she wanted to wait for Zoey and himself to open the rest made his insides melt. He was glad too: co-parenting with Erin wasn't ideal when they lived separately, because he still felt like he was missing out on aspects of Daisy's life. Even though he saw her almost every day.

She halted in an aisle next to Disney princess figurines. Jay watched her eyes almost glisten as she eyed up the dresses and tiaras. Her face spread into a grin as she looked them up and down.

"Is this what you want, Dais? One of those?" Jay asked her.

Daisy nodded her head, looking up at him hopefully.

"Which one?" He continued.

"Can you lift me, Daddy? So I can see them all?" Daisy asked him.

Jay lifted her easily and she wrapped her legs around his torso. He realized he never picked her up half as much as he did Zoey, and she was a little heavier, but the connection between them felt nice. One of her hands coiled the back of his neck and with the other, she pointed towards the one she wanted. Jay held her weight with one hand and reached for the design she'd picked as her favorite. "This one?"

"Yes please Daddy!" She almost squealed as Jay gave her the figurine to hold.

 _Well that was much easier than expected_ he thought. Daisy didn't protest to be let down, so Jay held her tight and headed for the check-out. Once they were through, he carried the bag but Daisy wanted to carry the figurine. He thought of one more thing before they were gonna head back.

"How do you feel about ice cream?" She was only five once, after all.

Her face lit up again. "Oh can we Daddy?"

"Of course!" He headed towards the elevator, knowing his favorite ice-cream place was on the second floor. "Which flavors do you like?"

"Strawberry!" she answered, following in his footsteps to the upper floor. "That's my favorite!"

"Hey, mine too!" he laughed. He found the place and ordered them both a strawberry cone. Daisy climbed into a booth and he followed, carrying both their treats until she was sitting. Then he pushed it into her grip.

Daisy devoured the ice-cream, leaving the cone when the good bit was gone. She'd managed to finish hers before Jay and climbed onto his knee whilst he ate the last of his.

"Thank you Daddy. For my present." She wrapped both arms around him.

"You're welcome, pumpkin! How was your ice-cream?"

"It was the best! I liked it!" she smiled.

He left the rest of his cone in the napkin. "Should we go home to Momma? And Zoey? Are you ready for your party?"

"Nearly, Daddy I have to put my dress on!"

He laughed at her priorities and held her hand out of the mall. When they reached Erin's house, Daisy followed in Zoey's previous actions and ran in the house before him.

Daisy had ran into the hallway, tackling off her shoes. Jay left her to it and walked into the kitchen: his other two girls looked like they were baking still. Both of their faces were covered in flour, and the kitchen looked messier than it had been when he'd left them. Not that he was going to say that aloud.

"Daddy, we made a cake!" Zoey greeted him when he walked through the door.

"I can see that-"

"Zoey, can you help me pick my dress?" Daisy shouted through from the hallway. Zoey immediately outstretched her arms to Jay who lowered her to the floor from the stool. She ran through in search of her sister.

"Do I get to say hello now?" Jay stepped closer to Erin, trapping her between the kitchen counter and his body. He lowered his head to the side and watched as she grinned.

"Hi," her eyelids slid closed and she leaned up to kiss him. Then she retreated and traced the line of her lip with her tongue as if to savor his taste. "Did you have fun at the mall?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I did actually," he smiled. "It was easy actually, she found what she wanted almost right away. It was _easy,_ " he repeated.

"Yeah? I guess you caught our daughter on a good day. There's been a hell of a lot of times when she's had a meltdown in a toy store," Erin laughed. "But seriously, you didn't have to buy her anything, Jay. We already covered that-"

"I wanted to," he protested. "The look on her little face when she saw those figurines. There was no way I was gonna be able to deny her."

Erin nodded. "Yeah, I know that look. But unlike some, I've become immune to it," she continued. "You're gonna be in trouble with those two, Jay."

"Tell me something I don't know," his eyes rolled as he thought about it. "Is there anything you want me to do, Er?"

"I think everything is almost ready," Erin paused, her hands on her hips. "You could just help me tidy this _mess_."

"Sure," he picked up a dishcloth and playing whacked her ass with it. "How was your baking lesson?"

She gasped at his game then grinned. "Come on, how does a four year old know that much about cooking? I feel like an amateur in my own kitchen!"

"I guess we used to bake a lot," Jay replied, not wanting to dwell on it because he knew who he was referring to with 'we'.

"Okay well the cake is almost ready, but are you okay to just put these in the dishwasher? I have to get changed before people start coming," Erin said removing the apron from the front of her body.

"Hey, I got this" Jay started to pile the cake-making utensils onto the counter. "Now you can go try make that pretty face prettier, but I don't know how you can do that-"

"I'll be down in ten minutes," Erin replied heading for the stairs.

Jay cleared the table free of dishes so there was room for the party food. He put the stool that Zoey had been standing on back where it belonged and hid the dishes in the washer.

He checked the time on his watch: it was just after 3:30 and Daisy's party was starting at 4. He reached into the fridge and pulled out a beer. If it was okay with Erin, he had every intention of Zoey and himself staying over tonight. If it wasn't at least the alcohol would be practically out of his system when it came to driving home.

The girls came downstairs before she did. Daisy led Zoey into the kitchen.

"Hey I like your dress, Dais." Jay reached into the pocket of his jeans. "Stand with your sister and let me take your photo." They posed before him for the camera and Jay smiled as he pushed the capture button repeatedly.

"Oh hey, I want in on this!" Erin wandered into the room and crouched between the two. All three of them smiled at Jay's camera.

At the sound of the door buzzer, the two girls ran in the direction of the front door. Erin stood up quickly and followed them, but the door was already open before she got there. Daisy acted like a little hostess, welcoming her friends into the lounge while directing their parents into the kitchen.

Jay raised both his eyebrows and beer bottle simultaneously in greeting as parents filtered their way into the kitchen. He wasn't surprised to find that he'd never seen half of them before.

"You must be Jay," the first other male parent walked across the kitchen to greet him. "I'm Mike, Riley's dad. It's great to finally meet you."

"That's me," Jay replied, shaking the guy's hand. He made small talk with him before venturing through into the lounge.

The lounge area was crowded with children. Laughing, screaming and shouting. Most importantly though, Daisy was having a good time and that was all that mattered today.

Still, Erin's lounge area looked congested. And for October, it was still fairly humid outside.

"I think it's time for games in the garden," Jay shouted over the noise. "Who's with me?"

Most of the children, including his own, followed him through into the garden. Since he'd assembled the furniture Erin had bought at the store, it looked much more welcoming.

Erin watched through the window as Jay entertained around 20 kids in the garden. Her heart thumped in her chest: there was something so hot about a guy that was good with kids.

She felt one of the moms brush against her arm. "So, that's Daisy's dad?"

Erin nodded.

"That's Zoey's dad too, right?"

 _Oh boy, here they go._ "Yes," Erin replied. She hadn't anticipated tonight being about her opening up about her family stuff. Family stuff that had _nothing_ to do with the other parents at school. Even if some of them did know Hannah.

"It's awesome that she has a sister her age," the mom continued, watching out of the window with Erin.

Erin was pleasantly surprised with the direction of the conversation. The mom slowly moved away from her and Erin figured it was time for birthday cake. She called through the window to Jay, and the children followed him inside.

Daisy sat at the head of the kitchen table, her sister beside her and the rest of her friends around. Jay dimmed the kitchen light and Erin lit the candles on her birthday cake. " _Happy birthday to you,_ "

" _Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Dai-sy, Happy birthday to you!"_

Daisy blew fiercely on her candles and clamped her eyes closed as if to make a wish. Her parents locked eyes for a moment before everybody in the room started talking again.

"I think it might be time for presents," Jay said, much to the delight of Daisy. He retrieved the pile from the lounge, and placed them all in front of her. He moved to stand at Erin's side as Daisy worked her way through her gifts.

The rest of the evening past slowly and Daisy's friends began to leave slowly. It came as a relief to her parents, although both were thankful that Daisy seemed to have enjoyed herself. And it meant even more to them that she hadn't excluded Zoey from the celebrations, the two were at each other's side the majority of the night.

When the last of their friends had left, Jay found the girls in the lounge playing with some of Daisy's new toys. The TV was on in the background. Erin was already working on the kitchen.

"Did you like your party, Daisy?" Jay sat on the couch as he watched them.

"Oh, it was so much fun Daddy! Did you see all of my presents?" she pointed towards the pile that Zoey and she had brought into the lounge.

"I did sweetie. You're a lucky girl, huh?"

Daisy nodded, focusing her attention back on her sister.

"Are you girls nearly ready for bed?" he eventually asked them, even though he knew he'd have to compromise because they _definitely_ wouldn't want to go to bed.

"No, Daddy!" they both said in unison.

But then Daisy turned towards him. "Wait Daddy does that mean Zoey is staying for a sleepover?" When Daisy spoke, the realization set on Zoey's face.

"Maybe," Jay blew out a breath. "We'll have to ask Momma."

"Ask Momma what?" Erin sat gently on the couch next to him. "What's up?"

"Can Zoey stay for a sleepover?" Daisy wasted no time in asking.

Erin laughed. "Of course, babe. But only if you promise not to stay awake all night."

They both nodded together. "We promise!" then ran off upstairs.

"Well, that was easy," Erin smiled. "I'm gonna make sure they have pyjamas and stuff. I'll be right back."

Jay sunk further into the couch as he waited for her. He heard her coming back down the stairs a few minutes later.

She'd dressed in something more comfortable herself. Jay gulped as she came back into the room. "I wanna show you something," she pulled him from the couch and towards the kitchen, opening the door at the rear of the house.

"Oh?" Jay was puzzled. "Erin are you crazy? It's gonna be cold outside now," he argued.

Erin shrugged off his caution and pulled him into the garden, to the opposite side from where he'd played with the kids. "Do you like it?"

She'd decorated her end of the garden with lights and a swinging loveseat.

"Where did you get this? I didn't see you pick this up in the furniture store-"

"That's because I didn't. It was a gift from my neighbor."

"You got a loveseat as a gift from your _neighbor_?" Jay raised an eyebrow. "Should I be concerned?"

"You should be concerned if I was into 60-year-old men," she grinned at him in the dusk. "Fortunately for you, I'm not."

Jay let Erin lead him to the garden's new addition. "In that case then, yes I do like it."

Before she had the chance to sit, Jay grasped her face between both of his hands, gazing intently into her eyes. Her head tilted slightly and he kisses her, resting his lips on hers for minutes. Erin's hands reach for his forearms and it causes him to groan as he takes the kiss deeper, persuading Erin's lips open and tickling her tongue.

Jay nibbled at the sides of her mouth, moving to her lower lip and invading her mouth. His hands travelled to the pin in her hair, pulling her long curls free and throwing his hands into them.

He murmured inaudible sweet nothings against her mouth, all the while still twisting his fingers into her hair. Eventually, the kiss slows and Jay moves his hands to cup her face again. Erin runs his hands the length of his shoulders and still holds onto his body even after he backs away.

"Shit, I've wanted to do that all day."

"Mhm," a nod of her head is all she can manage and she still seems in awe of him as Jay almost carries her to the loveseat. He positioned himself first, holding up an arm for her to sit beneath his hold. She all but sinks into him, curling into his chest. Jay uses one of his feet to rock them gently.

"Our little girl is five," she said quietly.

He planted his lips against her hair. "I know," he sighed. "She's gonna be grown before we know it."

"Nu-uh. She'll always be my baby."

He chuckled. "What did you usually do for her birthday?"

Erin wrapped an arm across his chest. "For the last two, she's asked about her Daddy."

"Well now she doesn't have to," he replied, smiling even though her head was low and she couldn't see. "She had a good day, right?"

"I think she's had a great day, Jay." Erin lifted her head. "I have too, actually." Her other hand stroked against his scruff. "Stay with me tonight," she finished quietly.

"Yes God yes," Jay replied. "I think we should go to bed."

 **Please Review :)**


	20. Chapter 20

"Mommy! Mommy! What are you making for break-" Daisy was already deep in conversation before she looked up to see not one, but two of her parents in the bed. "Daddy! I didn't know you were staying for a sleepover too!"

Jay laughed, watching as Erin freaked out and pulled the comforter over her shoulders. They'd been too preoccupied to lock the bedroom door last night and Daisy was up early. Her entrance into the bedroom took them by surprise, and Jay chuckled at Erin's embarrassed response.

"Yes pumpkin, Daddy was too tired to drive. Did you just wake up?"

"I did! Mommy, are we still going out today?"

"Yes baby," Erin nodded, trying to ignore Jay's hands creeping towards her beneath the blankets. _Was he really about to play this game?_ She turned to focus her attention on Daisy, still standing against the doorframe but her attention couldn't pry away from the feeling of Jay's fingers on her naked skin. _Oh, he was inappropriate._ "Is Zoey…" Erin took in a sharp breath of air as his teasing fingers rested against her opening. "Is Zoey, _awake_?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Jay leaned against his other arm, his elbow on the pillow whilst his other touched her. _It was okay for him_ Erin thought _he was able to act like nothing was happening._ Her, not so much. And it only appeared to be amusing him.

"I think she's still sleeping," Daisy huffed, apparently upset that her sister wasn't awake yet for her to play with. "I can go and wake her up, can we have breakfast?"

Erin tried to turn onto her side, still hiding her pyjama-less body under her covers. It didn't work to move away Jay's fingers though, and if anything he moved his body closer to her. She was gonna slap him. "Of course sweetie, you and Zoey go downstairs and I'll be down in a minute." She rested her head against her arm and watched as her daughter nodded excitedly and ran out of sight. "I hate…you."

Jay threw his head back in laughter. "Oh? Funny, you've never said that to me before."

"Jay, you're not funny! That was _totally_ inappropriate, what are you playing at?" she swatted his bare chest as she turned towards him.

"She's four, Erin. How is she supposed to speculate anything?"

"First of all, she's _five_ ," Erin raised her eyebrows. "Second of all, not the point. You're the worst."

Each time she tried to defend herself made Jay laugh even more.

"I'm glad you find this funny!" She exclaimed, but noticed he still hadn't moved away. He was still resting on his elbow, looking at her. And there was a stupid grin plastered on his face.

"Oh come on," he smiled, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist his advance no matter how hard she tried. "Fine, if you want me to stop I'll-" he started to pull his hand away but suddenly felt hers wrap around his wrist.

"Wait," she raised her eyebrows and she wriggled until she was laying. "She's gone now."

"Okay, now you wanna play?" Jay whispered as he closed the gap between their bodies beneath the comforter. His hand resumed position and he watched her face as she threw her head back against the pillows. He continued to watch as Erin threw a hand over her mouth in a bid to silence herself, so they wouldn't be disturbed again.

It was one of his favorite things to do, look at her face. Especially when the expression on her face was there because of _him_.

"Shit Jay," she writhed and he could see her fighting not to cry out.

He lowered himself down to her, his lips attending the line of her jaw before her neck. "We should get up," he surprised himself by saying it, he could honestly stay here with her all day.

"Not yet," she breathed, bringing a hand to join his to quicken his rhythm. "You..can't…leave me like this."

"Oh okay," he teased, making his hands oblige to what she wanted. He continued until she eventually sunk into the mattress. Then he relaxed himself, allowing himself as she opened her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. "Damn, I love watching you do that." Jay brought his arms to both sides of where her head lay on the pillow, her hair a tangled mess around it. "Good morning," he kissed her deeply.

"It is," she stroked his scruff when he pulled away. "I could get used to this."

"To what?" Jay asked.

"To you being here in the mornings. I like it."

"Yeah? I kinda like it too," he laughing, rolling to the side and getting out of the bed. If he didn't, he was never gonna move. He found his jeans at the bottom of the bed frame and pulled them up to his waist.

She pulled a face as she watched him move. "Where are you going?" She pulled onto her elbows and Jay watched as the comforter began to slip down her slender frame.

The sight made him groan. He walked around to her side of the bed and leaned across her. "You know I could stay here all day. But my babies are hungry," he hit her nose softly with his finger.

"I'll see you in a minute," she nodded.

Jay left the bedroom and walked along the hallway to Daisy's. He knocked on the door quietly before sneaking his head around the corner of the door. "Are you girls ready for breakfast?"

They both turned to smile in his direction. "Yes Daddy!" They replied together.

Jay ran over to the bed and scooped them into his arms, filling the air with a fit of giggles. He carried them down the stairs, lowering them to the floor when he reached the kitchen. "Okay, what are we having?"

"Lucky Charms!" Zoey shouted first. And he should have known: it was one thing she liked about Erin's: he never bought that kind of cereal.

"Toaster pastry!" was Daisy's response. And he wasn't about to deny her: it was still her birthday weekend.

He turned his back to them as they climbed up to seats on the table and started their breakfast. It occurred him to him that, because he'd spent so much time at Erin's, he now knew where everything was. He quickly located the cabinets where she kept the breakfast foods and made the girls their food. He gave the food to them and made coffee for Erin and himself just as he heard her coming down the stairs.

She'd ran a brush through her curls and dressed in her bathrobe. She paused at the table to kiss into both of the girls' hair before resting against the counter where Jay was standing.

He poured a mug for each of them and pushed one towards her, smiling. "What are your plans for today?"

"Last year I took Daisy for birthday dinner the day after her birthday, and I think she wants it to be a thing. So, probably that," she took a sip of coffee. "You two should come!"

"You're sure? It isn't a mother and daughter thing?" he asked, quietly.

Not quietly enough. "Yes, please come Daddy! And Zoey too!" It came out muffled, through mouthfuls of toaster pastry, but Daisy still spoke.

"Looks like she's spoken," Erin laughed. "I want you guys to come," she smiled, allowing herself to lean against him.

"Then we'll be there," Jay replied and took a drink from his coffee cup. He ruffled his hair with his free hand. "Although we should probably head home first, to get changed."

"Yeah, you do smell kinda gross," she joked. "We won't be going until later anyway. We could drop by your house and pick you up? I don't know where we're going yet, I still haven't been to many restaurants-"

"We should go to Gino's, Daddy!" Zoey cut in. "I like it there and I think Daisy will too!" She immediately broke into a babbling conversation to her sister about what the diner was like.

"Where did she say?" Erin asked him.

"Gino's. It's in the Loop. It's a pizza place, Zoey seems to like it there." Jay nodded. "They have an area for kids too, so that could be good."

"Perfect," she said between gulps. Jay didn't think she'd been tired this morning but there was no getting between Erin and her coffee, that he'd come to know. She threw the empty coffee cup into the sink and lifted herself to sit on the counter. "So what time should we go?"

Jay shrugged. "It's up to you," he replied. "I don't have anything else on today."

"Neither do I," Erin said. "Except cleaning this house."

 _Cleaning the house_. Jay looked around the kitchen: to him, there didn't look as though there was anything out of place. She was implying the house was a mess when it really wasn't.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Jay laughed.

"Oh please," she grimaced. "I think I recall not doing any cleaning last night," she heightened one of her eyebrows. "I think I was distracted."

"Actually if I remember correctly, you wanted to show me the present from your neighbor," Jay shot back, turning to face her. "And we all know you weren't in the mood to _clean_ last night," he added in a whisper.

Erin laughed loudly before nodding in agreement. "You know, I think you're right."

"I'm always right."

This time, both of her eyebrows raised. "Yeah, _okay_ ," she jumped from the counter top and walked over to where the girls sat, shooting him a sarcastic look over her shoulder. "Are you girls finished? Did Daddy do a good job?"

She watched them both nod and scooped up their empty dishes. Zoey and Daisy both wiped their mouths with the napkins on the table before running through into the lounge.

"See?" she heard from behind her. "Told you, I always do things right," he laughed.

"You can't do any wrong in their eyes, they love you." Erin placed the dishes on the counter and stood in front of him. "A man that's good with his kids? That's hot," she grinned.

"Yeah?" He wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Definitely," she leaned against his bare chest.

"I'm glad you think-"

"I wanna tell them," she said suddenly.

"What?" He was too busy milking in her embrace that he didn't understand. "Who?"

"The girls," she traced a nail over his chest. "I want to tell them. About us."

"Me too," he wrapped both arms across her shoulders and leant his chin above her head. "What do we say though?"

"Yeah I haven't thought about that," she admitted. "I'm just sick of not being able to do this when we're around them, or when we're out."

"Oh thank _God_ ," he laughed into her hair. "I've been waiting for you to say that. Not being able to hold your hand or anything is killing me."

"I know," she nodded underneath his hold. "But you know everybody won't agree, right?"

Her questions were confusing him this morning. "What do you mean? Like who?"

"I'm pretty sure the parents and stuff at school know about your wife. They'll-"

"Erin, I don't give a fuck about them. Who cares what they think?"

"I know," she said again. "But what if they think I'm just a homewrecker. I kind of am-"

"Stop it," Jay pulled away enough to reach for her chin and pull at it so she was looking up at him. "Don't ever say that again. My marriage is over and I love _you_. Let them think whatever they want to think."

Erin reached onto her toes and kissed him. "I love you too," she moved back to hug him.

* * *

"Are you tired, Zo?" Jay spoke to his youngest daughter as they drove back towards his house. She was quiet. "Did you want a nap?"

Zoey had been looking out of the window but turned to face her Dad when she heard his voice. "I am sleepy Daddy, maybe you can read me a story?"

"Of course pumpkin," he nodded, turning down the noise of the radio because she was speaking quietly. Which is how he knew she was tired. "We're almost home," he continued.

The events of the party weekend obviously meant Zoey was tired, and he thought it was best for her to sleep for a while before they went out tonight for Daisy's birthday dinner.

When he reached the driveway, he killed the engine and walked around to the passenger side to carry Zoey into the house. He fumbled in the pocket of his jeans for the key and let them into the house.

"You want to nap on the couch, Zo? Or bed?"

She lifted her head from where she'd rested it on Jay's shoulder. The little girl seemed to think for a minute. "Can I go to sleep in your bed, Daddy?"

He rolled his eyes, he should have known. Zoey seemed to love sleeping in the 'big' bed. But he was never going to object, even though she had a perfectly good bed of her own.

"Of course. You go pick a story book and Daddy will be upstairs in a minute. Okay?" he lowered her to the floor.

Jay watched as she walked slowly up the stairs, holding onto the handrail. He kicked off his shoes and went into the kitchen, prepared a drink of juice for her. He was about to join her upstairs when there was a knock at the door.

He definitely wasn't expecting anybody. Jay thought about ignoring it, but the knocking persisted again. He set Zoey's juice on the hallway table and unlocked the door.

"Hannah," he answered.

"Hi," she made immediate eye contact. "Can I come in?"

He was reluctant at first, wanting to get on with Zoey's story-time, but then he realized Hannah wouldn't show up for nothing. She wanted something.

Jay stepped aside in the hallway and she brushed passed him straight into the hallway. "Where's Zoey?"

"She's upstairs. She's just about to go down for a nap," he motioned towards the juice then pointed upstairs.

"Oh." Hannah nodded. "She's still having those?"

Jay tensed; he wasn't in the mood for a parenting lesson. Especially from the one who'd been most absent. "Don't. It was Daisy's birthday this weekend and she's tired."

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by that," she held up a hand in defence. "I would never question your parenting, Jay. You should know that."

"Did you want something, Hannah?" He didn't want to sound impatient, but Jay was aware his daughter was waiting upstairs. And she had an impatient streak. If he didn't get up there soon she would-

"Mommy?" Just as he thought, Zoey appeared at the top of the stairs, hanging onto the handrail with one of her hands. "What are you doing here Mommy?"

"I came to see you, baby." Hannah answered. She noticed the story-book that was tight in Zoey's grip. "Should I come up and read to you?"

Jay folded his arms across his chest and waited for Zoey's response.

"Can I have story-time with Mommy _and_ Daddy?" the little girl asked quietly.

Jay looked at his estranged wife who was already looking at him and shrugged. Zoey was still a child and he couldn't blame her for wanting a story read by them both. He picked up the juice from its resting place and followed Hannah up the stairs.

He couldn't help but feel a _little_ weirded out that Hannah was back in the bedroom they used to share, he felt slightly uncomfortable. She sat on the edge of the best closest to the door and watched as Zoey got herself comfortable beneath Jay's blankets. Jay set the juice on the bedside table and walked to the opposite side of the bed.

He watched as Hannah leant back against _his_ headboard and crossed her legs where she sat. Her attention was focused on the little girl.

 _Zoey was gonna be between them_. If they read a page each, she'd be asleep in no time.

To neither of their surprise, she'd chosen The Very Hungry Caterpillar and she was asleep breathing softly before they were halfway through the book. He watched Hannah lean down to kiss Zoey's forehead before slowly moving from where she was sitting.

"I'm just gonna use the bathroom?" she waited for Jay to nod before heading to leave the room. "I'll see you in the kitchen."

When she retreated to the hallway, Jay pulled the comforter over Zoey, padded over to the door and left it only slightly ajar behind him. Then he waited in the kitchen, switching on the coffee maker.

He was leaning against his own kitchen counter when he heard her come downstairs.

"She must have been tired then, I've never seen her fall asleep that quickly." Hannah said curtly before she moved to the kitchen table and dropped down into one of the chairs.

"Daisy had a party yesterday. I think they had a pretty busy day," he nodded, waiting for the click of the machine to fill the slightly awkward silence.

Hannah lifted something from her purse. "I brought these for you, I think you'll want them."

She'd pulled out a brown envelope. "What is it?"

"Divorce papers."

 _Oh._ He had been waiting on them, but still hadn't expected them today. The words leaving her mouth still came as a shock, even though it was what they now both wanted.

He'd waited a long time to get them but lately, they weren't what he'd been thinking about.

"I figured it's not something I should just mail to you," her tone picked up. "I was just gonna leave them in the mailbox, but I thought that was a bad idea."

"I'm bad with checking mail lately," he admitted. "So, thanks."

"Of course," Hannah watched Jay pour himself a coffee. "Do you mind?" she gestured.

"Oh um, sure," he reached for another coffee cup and stood it next to his own. "Sugar?"

"You know I don't have sugar in my coffee."

"Oh, yeah," he recalled, turning away from her to pour in cream. Then he pushed one of them in front of her but retreated to his spot standing at the counter, not feeling like sitting.

"Thanks Jay," she nodded and began to drink it straight away. The air was almost silent. "There's another thing," she eventually broke it.

"What?"

"I got a job offer," Hannah announced.

Jay didn't feel like that was his business anymore. Unless-

"It's in Washington."

His body froze before he lowered the coffee mug away from his mouth. "No."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"Yes I do, and the answer is no," he said bluntly.

Hannah avoided eye contact with him and played with the position of the coffee cup on the table. "Jay, Ryan said it's good money-"

"I don't give a fuck what Ryan thinks."

"Easy, Jay! I don't talk about Erin like that-"

"Erin isn't trying to take your daughter to the other side of the country!" He didn't want to be rude, he still had to co-parent with this woman but at the same time, he wouldn't stop at anything when it came to his children.

"Calm down, Jay you'll wake her! Look-"

"I am _not_ down to hear any excuses. This is wrong and you know it. Damn it, Hannah!" He almost threw the coffee cup onto the counter, afraid he would drop it if he kept it in his hold.

"Jay," her softer tone did nothing to calm him. "I knew coming here to tell you would be a mistake."

He suddenly understand why she was being so nice when she'd first arrived. "What was the alternative, Hannah? Not telling me and then suddenly one day, just getting up and leaving? That's bullshit and you know it."

"I haven't taken it yet," she added. "I came here to tell you."

"Oh how considerate of you!" Jay spoke through gritted teeth. "How did you expect me to react exactly? When you come in here and drop this on me?"

"Well if you'd stop biting my head off then maybe I could tell you!" Hannah spoke in an angry whisper, trying to reason with him.

"You know that you're out of order, otherwise you wouldn't get so defensive," he breathed.

"I just said I haven't taken the job yet."

"Okay?" He didn't know what Hannah expected him to say. Still, he was curious. Hannah was in the type of business that it shouldn't matter where she was working, it wasn't state specific. "What is the job?"

"Ryan is in the pharmaceutical business as well as the gym. He got me into the trade."

Jay gawped at her in silence so she continued. Though it was quiet, the drone of her voice was the only thing he was listening to, to see if she was about to give him answers. He didn't even notice the sound of the door to the house opening quietly, or the sound of the footsteps as they progressed along the hallway towards the kitchen.

"I met with a few of the managers he works with, when they were here for a conference. One of the leads, we got on really well and…" Hannah stood from where she was sitting and walked across the flooring to the area he was standing. She didn't leave a lot of room between them, Jay narrowing his eyes as she stood in his proximity.

"And?" He demanded her to go on.

"And he was like…" Hannah heard the footsteps but figured Jay hadn't, so continued. "…I want you."

The kitchen door swung open right at the exact moment the final three words left her mouth. Jay's head darted from the woman at his table to the other woman in the doorway. Erin _must_ have heard, but words were suddenly lost on him and all he could do was look between the two of them.

"What the hell?" he heard Erin say quietly, the emotion in her statement going straight through him. He knew immediately what she'd heard, the start of the sentence she'd missed beforehand and obviously only heard the last three words.

 **Please Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

"Erin," Jay jumped from the chair he occupied and headed for the hallway, shooting a glare in Hannah's direction before he did so. According to her face, she didn't realize what she'd done wrong, but she kept quiet.

Jay found Erin in the hallway, attempting to preoccupy herself by play with Daisy's hair. Daisy was eerily quiet, having heard her mom shouting two minutes ago. Either that, or she was too focused on the princess doll she'd brought with her.

"Hey," he approached Erin and swallowed. "I promise you it's not what it looks, or sounds, like-"

"Really?" she asked quietly. "Because it sure as _hell,_ " (she lowered her voice so her daughter didn't hear her cuss) "…sounded like you and Hannah have some unfinished business."

Jay sighed. "I guess we're always going to have unfinished business," he stepped closer, close enough to whisper in her ear, although he didn't. He grabbed hold of one of her hands, pulling it free from Daisy's hair. "But hear me out," he gave her hand a squeeze, elated when she smiled in response.

He lowered to his younger daughter's level. "Hey pumpkin, why don't you go and see if your sister's awake? I think she'd love your help choosing something to wear for dinner," he stood back up, watching as Daisy nodded with enthusiasm and made a bee-line for the staircase.

Jay focused his attention back on Erin and exhaled.

"She told me she'd got a new job," he started, rubbing a hand against his temple.

"Why did she need to come here to tell you that?" Erin quizzed, her eyes glancing up to lock his. A look of uncertainty spread across her brow. "Couldn't she have just told you that over the phone-"

"…at the opposite side of the country," Jay cut in, his eyes falling to the floor. "That's what she came here to tell me."

Erin looked towards him, she noticed he already looked resigned. Her eyebrows fused together. "Wait," she started, "but she can't do that can she?"

Jay laughed awkwardly. "She can do whatever she wants to Erin, I can't stop her."

"But Zoey-"

"I know," Jay sighed. "I know."

There was silence between them for a minute before Erin spoke again. There was a hint of uncertainty and anger in her tone.

"But she can't do that! She's your daughter too!"

"I know that," Jay repeated, his shoulders sagging slightly.

Erin chewed on the side of her gum. "What are you going to do?" She gulped, almost as though she was afraid of his answer.

"I'll tell you what _we're_ going to do," he pressed his forehead against Erin's. "You're going to go upstairs to see if the girls are sorted and then we're heading out for birthday dinner, as promised," Jay grinned.

"But what about-"

"I can deal with that later," Jay gestured towards the kitchen, where he'd left Hannah. Drinking her coffee. Probably acting as though she hadn't just dropped a bombshell on him. "She just barged in here tonight, Erin. I'm not letting her spoil what we had planned."

"Okay," Erin leaned into him and kissed him softly. "I'll go check on your mini-me's, Mr Halstead," she grinned as she headed for the stairs.

Jay watched Erin's silhouette until she disappeared into Zoey's bedroom. Then he exhaled deeply before wandering back into his kitchen. Hannah was in exactly the same position, apart from now she sat at an angle- like she'd been trying to listen to their conversation.

"You need to go now," he muttered, moving the coffee mug from in front of her on the table. "We have plans tonight." His tone was stronger than he thought- they _had_ been married after all- but the blow she'd just delivered angered him.

"She hates me," Hannah said bluntly.

Jay blew out a breath he didn't have. "She doesn't _hate_ you. She asked to read a story with you earlier-"

"I meant your new girlfriend," Hannah didn't meet his eye.

"Oh." A pause. "She doesn't hate you. She just doesn't agree with you thinking it's okay to uproot a four year old to the opposite side of the country to one of her parents," he spoke fast, before he had time to change his mind.

Hannah shook her head and stood up from where she sat.

"You're gonna be pissed with either decision I make, aren't you?" her tone was angering with each word. "If I take the job, I take your daughter away from me. If I don't, I'll still be here and you won't be able to play happy families with me in the back of your mind, will you?"

"Hannah!" Jay slammed the coffee cup against the kitchen counter. "You can't, and I mean CAN'T, take Zoey away from me! I am her parent too!" He took a breath to compose himself, it wasn't like him to shout. But sometimes the calm collected front he put on wasn't enough. And she needed to know his thoughts. "But it's not something we're going to discuss tonight. Like I said, we're going out and you need to go now."

Her eyes lingered on the brown envelope she'd brought for him. Her face didn't move, as she picked up her handbag and made for the door.

"I don't need a reminder that I'm a shitty mom, Jay," she spoke under her breath, almost as though she was fishing for him to deal her a compliment. For him to say something along the lines of _don't be ridiculous, you're not a bad mom._ When he didn't, she continued:

"This is a good opportunity for me. It could be a fresh start for me and Zoey." She focused her attention on the door handle, playing with the brass as though she was a child and such an object fascinated her. "It could have been a fresh start for you too."

"Don't go there," his teeth were gritted now, and he knew what she was trying to get at. He'd moved on, and he was happy. Which meant she wasn't. "I'll call you, and we can talk." Of course he had no intention of letting up on his point of view, but there wasn't time for that talk now. Especially if he, Erin and the girls were to be on time for their restaurant reservation.

Hannah understood. She nodded and the door widened under her touch. Jay waited in the kitchen until he heard the front door slam, then he closed his eyes.

 _If she were to take Zoey away from me_ , his mind suddenly created an image of family, two parents and one little girl. He gulped and shook his entire body, opening his eyes at the same time. _What a heart wrenching notion, it didn't bear thinking about._

When his eyes regained focus, Erin was standing in the kitchen doorframe. She looked to be studying him intently.

"You good?" she pushed one of her blonde curls behind her ear and strode towards him, wrapping arms around his waist when she reached the counter. Sensing that he needed it. To be held.

"Yeah," Jay nodded his confirmation. "Just need to change my shirt. Are the girls almost ready?"

"I think so," she smiled. "They wanted to get ready without my help. So I did their hair and then I was shunned from the room," a giggle.

"Oh," Jay joined her momentary laughter. His heated discussion with Hannah had meant he hadn't even heard her come back downstairs. "So I'm guessing you heard-"

"Not at all," Erin shook her head. "That conversation is not my place," she replied honestly.

He kissed her. That was the difference between his soon-to-be ex-wife and his girlfriend. Erin hadn't even tried to eavesdrop on his conversation with Hannah, but Hannah found it perfectly acceptable to try and listen to his conversation with Erin in the hallway. He shuffled free from his grip, knowing he had to get changed before anything else.

She took over his position, spinning in direction and leaning against the counter. As she watched him heading for the door, her eyes caught sight of a brown envelope laying flat on the table. A frown crinkled her brow.

"What's that?"

Jay whipped around to see what she was looking at. They both looked from the envelope to each other at the same time, their eyes meeting.

He licked his lip. "Divorce papers," they were the only two words to leave his lips before he turned away towards the stairs. It was nothing more than a moment, but he swore the slightest existence of a smirk flashed on Erin's features before he practically ran up the stairs.

* * *

"They have a ball pit… and they have squishy toys…and they have…oh what else do they have, Daddy?" Zoey sat excitedly next to her sister in the back of Jay's jeep. She was eagerly listing, using her fingers, what she loved about Gino's, the restaurant they were headed to.

Jay laughed at Zoey's enthusiasm, focusing most of his attention on the road with his free hand resting on his thigh. He was surprised a bit, that she could remember so much of the place: they hadn't visited in a while.

"Um," he was struggling to think of things himself, features Zoey hadn't mentioned already. "Well, you guys can color.. but don't forget we're eating there too!" he laughed.

"We know, Daddy!" Zoey and Daisy said in unison. They went back to chatting between one another.

"And you," Jay's free hand worked its way over to Erin's jean-clad knee. "I think you'll like it here too."

"Oh?" She'd been staring out of the passenger seat window, her window open slightly so her tousled curls blew behind her. "What makes you think so?"

"Because I recall how much you love Italian food," he grinned, his thumb and forefinger pinching the smallest nip of her skin. Erin fought hard not to squeal: she was super ticklish there, and he knew it. "Oh rather, you used to.." he continued, the smallest furrow of his brow creasing his face. "You do still like Italian food, right?"

Erin rested her cheek against the head-rest. "You're kidding, right?"

"What?"

"I _love_ Italian food!" she laughed, her left hand coming to rest over Jay's. "I don't think that's ever gonna change," she added, looking at Jay as he laughed too but kept his eyes on the road. "It was all I could eat when I was pregnant."

"Yeah?"

"I practically _lived_ in an Italian restaurant for the first few months. I'm surprised I didn't put on a hundred pounds," she said. Then, her mouth clamped shut; _wasn't this subject kinda awkward?_

"Nice," Jay laughed, a proper chuckle as he imagined Erin being pregnant: stuffing her face with food. He pulled into the restaurant parking lot and killed the engine. The girls clapped their hands excitedly from the back.

Both Erin and Jay got out of the car simultaneously, Jay going to Zoey's side of the car and unbuckling the booster seat, Erin doing the same with Daisy. They held onto their hands tight as they approached the restaurant.

When they'd reached the paving area before the entrance, Zoey wriggled free from her father's grip and made a bee-line for the door. Jay laughed: _okay, she could definitely remember being here._

Jay opened the door for the girls and walked over to the waiter.

"Our table's almost ready," his attention turned to Erin. "There's a menu just over there, if you wanna check it out," he pointed. No doubt his youngest daughter would already have it figured out what she was eating, he looked down to see her eyeing up the play-area carefully.

Jay bent to Zoey and Daisy's eye level. "I think there might just be enough time for play before we eat," he said playfully, knowing that was where they wanted to be really. "As long as you decide what you want to eat first!"

He barely heard the girls shout 'spaghetti' and 'pizza' before they'd ran out of sight.

"And what about you?" Jay regained his full height and turned to face Erin, her face intently studying the menu. "What are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling pizza," Erin grinned, folding her arms across her chest. She nodded in front of where Jay was looking, the waiter making his way back over. Jay took her hand as they followed in the direction of their table.

"A good decision," Jay agreed as he slid into one end of their booth. "And I'll have the gnocchi," then he ordered for the girls, and the waiter was dismissed.

Erin laughed, her arms resting on the table top. "You always were a food snob," she smirked, but she reached for his hand across the table anyway. "So, how are we gonna talk about this with the girls?"

"Well I have no idea," Jay shrugged. "Maybe it's best if we're just truthful?"

"Oh that's helpful!" Erin rolled her eyes, but smiled to show she wasn't being serious. "What exactly do we say?"

Jay relaxed more, his elbows too resting against the table top. He held up a finger. "Option one: we tell them bluntly, we're together. Option two: we feed them lots of fluff about how much we love each other and blah blah-"

Erin blew out a breath between laughter. "You're such an idiot," she scolded.

"Yeah but you love me," he teased.

Erin shook her head. "True," she had to agree.

They both sipped their drinks- Erin a wine, she wasn't driving after all- and Jay a Coke. Ten minutes later, the girls came running to the table, their cute faces pink in color.

"Hey monkeys," Jay watched as Daisy took the seat next to him and Zoey next to Erin, both of them reaching for the juice-boxes in the middle of the table. There was quiet for all of ten seconds, except for the slurping as his daughters drained their juice.

"We were thirsty, Daddy," Zoey said after a breath. "And now we're hungry!"

"So hungry!" Daisy confirmed.

"Then I think you're just in time," Erin shuffled to watch the waiter present them with plates. He set down a pizza and spaghetti in front of the little ones before disappearing momentarily back to the kitchen. The girls dug in right away.

Zoey twirled spaghetti round and round the plate before stuffing the first fork in her mouth. Daisy's tongue stuck out in concentration as she tried to separate one slice of pizza from another. Jay grinned at their attempts to be independent.

"Hey," he started, thanking the waiter with a hand gesture before continuing his conversation. "Daddy needs to tell you something."

Both girls turned at once towards him. Daisy's brow expressed a little frown and Zoey's mouth was twisted.

"What is it, Daddy?" Daisy asked.

"Daddy and Erin…" Jay struck a blank. _How did you tell things to four and five-year-olds?_ They were staring at him intensely. He looked at Erin for back-up, her face breaking into the softest smile. She was probably thinking he was being ridiculous, thinking too much into this conversation.

"Tell us, Daddy!" Zoey reinforced.

Jay turned his attention to his eldest daughter, sat to the left of him. "Daddy loves you, Dais. And I love you Zo-bo. And… Daddy loves Erin too."

Though he'd voiced what he needed to, the looks of confusion didn't lift from his daughter's faces.

"Is that…it?" Zoey asked with a grimace.

"Because we know that already, Daddy…" Daisy added.

It was Jay's turn to frown. "What?" He was genuinely surprised, thinking they'd been quite good at sneaking around. "How do you know?"

The two girls shared a glance before answering. "We saw you kissing at my party!" Daisy said.

Erin hid her face behind a hand, the other stuck underneath a pizza slice. _Oh goodness_ she mouthed in Jay's direction.

"And that's okay?" he was finding the conversation more difficult than he expected.

"That's okay," Daisy smiled, her arm curling around Jay's as she giggled.

"Yeah, it's cool!" Zoey shot her dad a thumbs-up before turning her attention back to her pasta. "Can I have another juice please?"

Jay nodded and summoned the waiter with his arm. They were regulars in here, the waiter knew what Zoey would want and produced another juice box from behind his counter, doing the same for Daisy.

As soon as the meal was over, Jay's real interrogation started.

"So," Zoey began, sounding much older than her four years. Since he'd been introduced to his elder daughter, Jay realized Zoey was the more forward one: she would voice something and Daisy would agree with her. "Does that mean we can have more sleepovers?"

"I think we could arrange that," Erin answered Zoey's question but whilst looking at Jay. She winked in his direction, too subtle for Zoey to see.

"Will you get married?" Daisy asked suddenly, all the innocence in the world present in her face. "That's what people do when they love each other, don't they?"

Erin spat out a mouthful of wine, although not obvious enough for it to erupt over the table. Jay only raised his eyebrows, half at the question and the other at Erin's reaction.

"Absolutely not," Erin answered for him, once she'd composed herself.

"They do!" Daisy protested. "Riley's mommy and daddy are married, Tyler's mommy and daddy are married…" she counted her friends on her fingers.

Jay held Daisy's hand in her own, knowing she was getting agitated. "Hey," he tried to be the voice of reason. "People who love each other don't _have_ to get married, Dais. They have fun together, maybe have vacation times together, they live together-" he clamped his mouth shut.

Zoey was obviously listening. "Live together? But you and Erin have different houses Daddy," she said simply.

Jay realized he was digging himself into a hole. "I know that pumpkin, I mean sometimes people live together," he pulled a face, hoping the façade was enough to convince his offspring. They were far more inquisitive than he thought they would be.

Zoey nodded to show she'd heard him, then yawned. Jay checked his watch: they had been in the restaurant longer than usual. The party this weekend had obviously taken it out of her, he was even feeling it himself. He left the cash for their meal on the table and led the way out of Gino's.

By the time they reached Erin's place, both of his daughters were sleeping in the back. He looked over at Erin, who looked close to slumber herself.

"Tired?" he asked quietly. "You know, I'd carry you in and all but-" he motioned to the back, where the girls hadn't stirred. "Kinda got my hands full," he smiled.

Erin giggled. "I think I can make it," she kidded.

"You're sure?" Jay teased. "I mean, I could come back for you…"

"I'm good," she promised, closing the door gently when she got out of the passenger side. "Can you manage?" she asked, noticing Jay trying to balance a child in each arm.

"I'm good too," he replied, pressing against the car fob he'd balanced in his mouth. He walked through Erin's open door behind her, heading straight for the stairs.

He made it to Daisy's bedroom, gently lowering his upper body so the girls were laying on the mattress. Zoey wriggled a little but her sister was completely in slumber. He pulled the comforter over them, after removing their shoes. Then he tiptoed back along the hallway and down the stairs.

Erin was waiting for him in her kitchen, more awake now than she had been in the car. She watched as Jay made his way into the room and she wandered over to the fridge, pulling two beers out. She pushed one into his palm.

Jay settled at the dining table, taking the beer gladly from Erin's grip. He knew what she was doing: it was a subtle way of getting him to stay over because she knew he didn't like to drink when he was driving.

"I'm back to work in the morning," he protested. The weekend passed him by far too quickly: he'd be back to drug busts in the a.m.

"Yup," Erin said in agreement, although she didn't offer any sympathy. "I'm sure a beer won't hurt," she smirked.

"That's true," Jay held up his beer bottle in a bid to clink it against Erin's, but he also reached for her free hand. She had to push herself from the countertop she was leaning on, a giggle erupting from her when he pulled her hard so she was sitting on him.

"You've played the responsible parent all weekend honey," Erin's voice was smooth. "I think a beer, or two, is the least you deserve."

His free hand snaked around Erin's back, pulling her closer. The other he used to gulp a huge mouthful of beer. "You're sure you're not just getting me drunk? It's a school night, you know," he kissed her cheek.

"You missed," Erin turned in his lap, planting a kiss properly on his lips. "Now I'm glad we don't have to hide this," she added.

"Mmm, me too," Jay opened his eyes slowly, smiling against her mouth. "I do love you, you know. And I'm thankful for you."

"Thankful?" she seemed confused.

"Yup," he took a deep breath. "Thankful you're here. Because I don't know what's about to happen, but there's a chance things with Hannah could get messy. If she's serious about this job."

 **Please Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

"So what's the best thing for me to do?" Jay sat opposite his lawyer and sighed. He wished it wouldn't come to this, but with Hannah threatening to move half way across the country with his youngest daughter, he had to be prepared.

"…and what do you keep in here?" Zoey asked inquisitively as she helped herself to a look around the lawyer's office. Jay spun to see her trying to open one of the man's drawers, somewhere he obviously kept his important work documents because it was locked with a bolt. One which Zoey was currently attempting to break into by rattling with it.

"Zo! Stop that!" Jay turned from client mode to Dad-mode, jumping from the chair and grabbing hold of his daughter's hand. "That's not yours, you don't touch things that aren't yours," his tone was stern and then he turned back to Mr Jeffries. "I'm sorry," he apologized, knowing this wasn't the most conventional of meetings. In an ideal situation, he would be having this conversation with neither of his daughters in tow, adult to adult. In reality, Erin had decided now was the time she wanted to go back to work and was currently in an interview. Which left Dad with the children, and he'd forgotten about the lawyer's meeting.

"I'm sorry Mr Man," Zoey looked down at the floor and put on a pouty lip. "I won't touch anything else, I promise."

To Jay's surprise, the man laughed. "That's okay," he seemed to speak to both of them. He reached into another one of the drawers and pulled out an old-fashioned Nintendo. "Why don't you play with this and I'll chat to Daddy?" He handed over the game and the little girl beamed.

Jay's gaze followed her as she scrambled onto the chair at the back of the room, next to her sister. Her sister who was quietly coloring with distractions that Jay had thought to bring with him: he had _no_ idea how meetings like this would go, or for how long for. It wasn't somewhere he really wanted to bring his children though, especially Zoey, being that the subject of conversation was her Mom.

As Zoey's attention focused on the new activity, he looked at the little girls as they sat together. They were so alike and yet so different: the elder was perfectly content with sitting in silence and coloring; the younger being the more boisterous and easily distracted, wanting to be into everything. He smiled as Zoey showed her sister the Nintendo and then turned around again to face the man.

"Sorry," he said again. "Where were we?"

"You were asking about what to do next," Mr Jeffries pushed his glasses further onto his nose and folded his arms across his crisp white shirt. "From my perspective Mr Halstead, you are in an extremely good position. Your occupation and current custody of Zoey will work in your favor."

Jay let out a breath. Ever since Hannah had turned up on the doorstep, he'd been imagining the worst of scenarios. Picturing himself travelling miles to see his youngest child. Of course, he would go to the ends of the Earth for either of his daughters but it was a great deal easier to be in the same state as them. In an ideal world, living with both of them.

"So I should just do nothing?" he scratched his chin. "You do realize she's threatening to take her to the other side of-"

"Slow down Jay," Mr Jeffries' tone was comforting. "You don't need to panic about anything just yet. You currently have sole rights over Hannah because she was the one that chose to leave. Obviously you can't keep the child from her mother, as long as she wants to see her, but there's sufficient evidence for me to tell you that Mrs Halstead can't take the child that far away from you."

Jay nodded his understanding: it was a slight relief to hear the lawyer speak such words. "Um, ex-Mrs Halstead," he gulped, knowing he'd never actually said that out loud yet.

He'd never wanted his new relationship with Erin to come between him and Zoey's mother. Perhaps he was in the wrong, but he couldn't prevent whom he fell in love with. Thinking about Erin, and what he had with her, made him realize Hannah was never the right person for him. But she'd given him a child and he'd be forever thankful for that.

"Yeah, right," the lawyer looked slightly embarrassed at the term he'd used. "Listen, if you're sure this was a _real_ threat then I should talk with her lawyer. There's a small chance she might try and spin something against you, if she was serious," Mr Jeffries smiled when Jay's eyes shot up to meet him. "As I said before though, you don't have anything to worry about at the moment." He stood from his chair, extended a hand in Jay's direction. "I'll keep you posted, though. This situation shouldn't be at the forefront of your thoughts," he added, motioning towards the children who were now both engrossed in the game. "Enjoy the rest of your day," he said.

"And you," Jay returned his handshake and walked away from the desk. He'd never been in this situation as such, but Mr Jeffries was a guy who knew how to do his job. And how to do it well. If he told Jay he had nothing to worry about, then he wouldn't. He'd take the lawyer's advice and focus the rest of the day on the two people that mattered.

"Time to go," he raised his voice a little to get their attention.

Daisy's eyes flitted straight to her father, jumping off the couch and pushing her pencils back into their pouch. She skipped to meet Jay where he stood by the doorway, reaching for his hand. She was growing accustomed to spending more time with his dad on his own these days, and Jay revelled in the comfort that she wanted to be in his company. Although she didn't have much choice in the matter today.

"Come on Zo-bo," Jay coaxed, realizing his youngest daughter's attention was still drawn into the game. "Time to give that back to Mr Jeffries," he said.

"But I don't want to," her pout had returned and she looked up from what was distracting her. "Can I stay?"

Laughter came from behind and Jay turned to find Mr Jeffries shrugging. "That's what they all say," he smiled. "This thing works a treat," he said, talking about the Nintendo.

Jay smirked. "Maybe so, but not as much as ice cream," he emphasized the last phrase to make sure Zoey heard. At the mention of her favorite dessert food, she shot out of the chair and left the lawyer's game on the arm of the couch.

"Ice cream!" she repeated, squealing as she joined her sister.

"Works every time," Jay said, directed to Mr Jeffries. He took a hand of each of the girls in his own and walked out of the office towards the car.

"Are we really going for ice cream?!" Daisy seemed to share in the enthusiasm of her sibling. Jay's laughter was enough of an answer and they both giggled. "Mommy doesn't usually let me have ice cream on a Wednesday," she half-whispered, as though Erin could hear.

"We can keep it a secret," Jay whispered back as he secured them both into the back of the car.

Daisy and Zoey engaged in a conversation of their own without Jay as they drove towards a near ice cream place. As he drove near it, they noticed and squealed again.

"What are we having?" he turned around in the driving seat awaiting their answers.

"Strawberry please, Daddy!"

"Mint chocolate chip," Daisy said, more quietly.

Jay smiled. _Mint chocolate chip._ She'd inherited that taste from her mother. Jay found himself wondering if it was still Erin's favorite. He pulled into the drive-through and ordered for them, adding a vanilla cone for himself. He passed their tubs into the back of the Jeep and parked up as he ate his own. As he swallowed the final piece of cornet, the hands-free device for his cell phone sprung into life. He licked his lower lip and smiled as he answered. "Hey you."

" _Hey. Is everything okay?"_ Erin's voice spoke outta the speaker.

"Everything's good. I'll tell you about it when we get home. How was your interview?"

" _I think it went pretty good. He said I'll find out next week, but he'll tell me either way. Where are you?"_

"…we're at Mr Mulligans," he confessed, listening to the small gasps coming from the back seat.

" _You are not giving your daughters sugar overload on a weekday Mr Halstead,"_ she said but it was followed by a giggle. _"Are they listening? Hi girls!"_ There was a pause as she got a response from Zoey and Daisy. _"How long are you guys gonna be?"_

Jay checked the time in the corner of his screen. "We're leaving now, honey, we'll be at your place soon."

" _I'll see you soon,"_ she cut herself off.

As soon as Erin had ended the call, Daisy shouted from the back. "Daddy, you're bad at keeping secrets!"

He was confused at first, then realized she was talking about him telling her mom they'd been for ice cream. "Oops," he laughed, glancing frequently in the rear view mirror as they drove to Erin's place, which he reached in the next ten minutes.

Jay parked his Jeep up next to Erin's and unstrapped the girls' booster belts. They ran ahead of him, heading straight through the door. He locked the car and followed them, greeted first by a small grey thing by his feet.

He laughed, bending to stroke Jasper's fur. They spent so much time at his own place, Jay kinda forgot that Erin and Daisy had a dog. The dog apparently hadn't forgotten who he was though, bounding towards him to be tickled. Jay picked up the pup and walked through into the hallway.

The laughter from above the staircase told him his daughters had already gone to play in Daisy's bedroom. He let down Jasper and followed the running pup into the kitchen. Erin was in there, leaning against the cooker.

Erin had changed out of her interview clothes, opting instead for sweatpants and a hoodie. She'd scraped her curls into a bun leaving two stray strands of her blond hair at her temples. She was humming a quiet tune to accompany her cooking but stopped when the noise came from the door. "Hey," Erin turned towards him. "How did it go?"

"Later," Jay walked up behind her and cupped Erin's face to kiss her. "How did your interview go?" He stepped back, leaning his behind against the counter, watching her cooking. "Tell me about it."

Erin wrinkled her nose, looking at him. "Jay, I _really_ want it," she confessed, turning her attention temporarily to whatever she was preparing for dinner. "The head of the company, Zack I think his name was, was friendly and polite and made it seem like a great place to work-"

"Zack, huh?" Jay teased, folding his arms across his chest.

"No need to be jealous honey," she threw back her reply, laughing. "Anyway, he told me there was one other candidate and he had to choose between us because there's only one job available. He said he would call by Friday."

"Hey that's great," Jay said truthfully, if Erin really wanted to go back to work he was happy for her. "What were the hours like?"

"Oh that's the great part," Erin smiled, turning off the gas then facing him. "I told him about the girls and he said the hours could work around school. So I'd still be here to drop them off in the morning and I could cut away early on the days I need to pick them up," she said. She continued to talk about her day as she reached into one of the cabinets for cutlery. "Now," Erin piled plates onto the counter before she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. "How was the meeting with the lawyer?"

"It sounds like we've both had a great day," Jay said, looking down into her eyes. "Jeffries told me Hannah isn't in a strong enough position to try for sole custody and take Zo away from me," he recalled the information the lawyer had filled his head with. "I've been thinking," he cracked his jaw. "Maybe it would be best to try and come to an amicable decision, instead of all this lawyer shit…"

"With Hannah, you mean?"

Jay nodded: whenever there was the mention of his ex between them, the tension almost radiated from Erin. Though he didn't know what else to say to make her realize she had nothing to worry about. "Maybe we should just sit down and talk about it," he said. "I don't want her to think it's okay to make threats to take Zoey away."

"It's not," Erin pulled herself away and walked the length of the kitchen to the hallway, holding the door ajar. "Daisy, Zoey! Dinner!" she set about dishing out four plates of pasta and laying them onto the table. "You think that's what it was, an empty threat?"

"I don't know," Jay shrugged. "But I do know it would be a strange decision for Hannah to move half way across the country with a guy she's barely met. I'll text her or something, saying we need to talk."

"I think you should-" Erin's mouth hung open mid-air as the girls interrupted them. She bent to their level when they appeared around the doorframe, hand in hand. "Oh come hug me! Did you girls enjoy your day?"

They'd rushed right upstairs when Jay had brought them back to Erin's place, missing out on a hug greeting beforehand. Daisy and Zoey ran towards her and suddenly she disappeared, as two pairs of arms pulled her into a cuddle. Jay interrupted after a minute, making noise as he pulled back one of the kitchen chairs.

"Come eat girls," he said, speaking to all three of them.

"What happened in your inter-thingy Erin?" Zoey asked as she clambered onto the chair. Her fork headed straight for the pasta bowl and she attempted to twirl a massive heap around it. She giggled as the majority fell back into the dish but she shoved the few strands that remained into her mouth.

"This really nice man asked me a lot of questions," she tried to simplify her afternoon whilst telling the truth. "…and then I had to play a game-"

"Like hide and seek?" Daisy looked up from her plate, already having spilled half of the sauce down her chin.

"Not quite Dais," Erin laughed, reaching across the table to wipe the mess from her daughter's face. "It was more like a question and answer game," she said.

"And did you get them all right?" her daughter asked again, intrigued.

"I think I did a pretty good job," Erin shrugged, looking at Jay. "If the man gives me a call, that means I got the job."

" _Ohhhh,_ " the two little girls spoke at the same time, averting their gaze from their food for just a minute. After, their attention was back on the pasta, leaving Erin and Jay to talk over the table.

Jay was first to finish his food- even though he had the most- and pushed back his chair to carry the dirtied dishes over to the counter. He stood leaning against it whilst he watched his daughters clear their own bowls of pasta. Another likeness between them both: the love of Italian food. Like Erin.

She left the girls chattering at the table and joined him at the opposite end of the room. After disregarding her own dishes, she wrapped an arm around him. "Are you staying again tonight?" she asked, only loud enough for him to hear.

"I'd love to," he smiled, gazing past her for just a minute to look at Daisy and Zoey. They seemed completely at ease in each other's company nowadays, a way better outcome than it would have been if they didn't get in or fought for their parent's attention. They really were the best of friends, as well as half siblings.

He couldn't think of anything better than putting them to bed together for a sleepover then heading into Erin's bedroom for the night.

* * *

"You know," Erin said the next morning, wrapped in Jay's embrace. "I meant it when I said I could get used to this," she softly caressed his cheek, the stubble at the back of his mind for the past couple of days so the start of a beard was there.

Jay chuckled. "You say that now," he teased, rolling over onto his stomach so his bare torso was free of the covers. "I don't want you to feel like we're jumping into anything," he continued, not sure how well the comment would go down. He didn't even know what she was hinting at: _did she want him to move in? For them to find a new place?_ Surely not, she'd just got this place and he'd been the one working on it.

Erin shook her head. "I'm just saying," she swung her legs from the bed and walked to her closet, wrapping her bathrobe around her. "I don't want you to feel like you have to wait for me to ask if you wanna crash here," Erin walked back to the bed and kissed into his hair. "You and Zo are always welcome here."

"Good to know," he got out of bed after her, reaching onto the floor to pull on his sweatpants. A pair of which he always kept here now, because he and Zoey were staying over so frequently. Sometimes the thought of his own bed- getting in it on his own- disappointed him. "What's your day like?"

"I guess I'll take the girls to school," Erin said, wondering why the pair of them were up before the littler ones. It wasn't like them to be sleeping still or not making much racket. "Did you text Hannah or anything?"

"I uh, yeah," Jay scratched the back of his neck, a move he realized he always seemed to do when this subject came up. One that he didn't want to talk about but one that he had to. "I'm gonna meet up with her tonight. But I think she wants to see Zoey."

"Are you gonna take her with you?" Erin asked, reaching around the door.

"I think I should," he said, following her out of the bedroom. "If Zoey is there between us, the atmosphere probably won't be as frosty. I can easily distract her if we gotta talk about 'grown up' stuff." Jay continued to walk behind Erin across the hallway to Daisy's bedroom so he couldn't see her face. But he knew what she would be thinking.

Erin didn't turn back to him before opening her daughter's bedroom. As they'd thought, Daisy and Zoey were still sleeping. "I bet they were up half of the night," she said, changing the subject. She took a step forward and lowered herself onto the edge of the bed where the two girls were intertwined in the covers. "I almost don't want to wake them-"

"We're awake, silly!" Daisy sprang up to a sitting position, her eyes wide.

"Yeah we came in to see you but you looked comfy so we came back here," Zoey said, rubbing her eyes as if to wipe away tiredness. "Are you taking us to school today, Erin? I think it's your turn!"

"You bet I am," Erin laughed enthusiastically, stroking Zoey's hair. She looked up at Jay leaning against the doorframe. "I got this, do you have work today?"

"A half day," Jay shrugged, smiling at her. "I can bring Daisy home tonight before me and Zoey go-"

"Where are we going, Daddy?"

Jay cussed at himself under his breath for saying it out loud. _Nothing got past little ears._ "We're gonna go see your Mommy."

"Why?"

"Because Mommy wants to see you, Zo. We can come back here after," he said, watching the smallest smirk tug at Erin's lip. Something that told him she was already eager for it to fast forward to this evening. "But you girls have school first, come on last one into the bathroom is a smelly butt-"

"Jay!" he only just heard Erin's response over the sounds of the girls' laughter.

He shrugged innocently and watched the girls overtake him into the bathroom. He lagged behind, waiting to see Erin before she followed them in there.

"I do actually have to go home to get clean uniform," he admitted. "Are you sure you're okay without me?"

Erin scoffed. "I'm pretty sure we'll cope," she joked, balancing up onto her toes to kiss him. "So, I'll see you tonight?"

"I'll pick them up," he said, stopping with the talking for a long minute to kiss her back. "I'll drop off Daisy and then after this _thing_ is over, we'll be back," he raised an eyebrow. "I'll see you."

* * *

Whether it was the pressure of the next hour or how boring desk work was, Jay's cell phone told him it was past 3pm before he know it. He clocked out, grabbed his stuff from the locker room and drove towards school. No matter how many times he picked up his daughters, it filled him with an immense emotion that they always ran out to greet him with the same enthusiasm.

"Daddy!" he took a child in each arm, crouching to their level to hug them.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"It was good, we did painting!" Zoey said, producing something she'd been holding. "Look, I drawed us!"

He looked on at four fat splodges of color, along with another grey one by what he could only assume were supposed to be their feet. _Huh? Oh. Jasper._

"…and we made cookies! But we ate them already," Daisy laughed and Jay pretended to be shocked by dropping his jaw.

"What? And you weren't going to share?" Their laughter filled his eardrums. "Nice picture, Zo!"

"Are we going for more ice cream?" Zoey chirped as the three of them walked back to the car.

"Nice try," he chuckled as he worked to secure them both into the Jeep. "I don't think we'll be doing that again considering you told on me to your Mom-" to Daisy. "…to Erin," to Zoey. "We're gonna go see your Mom, remember? But first we gotta drop Daisy off with _her_ Mommy."

Both girls seemed content with his answer and chatted to one another whilst he listened to the radio. As soon as they reached Erin's house, Jay unstrapped Daisy's booster and pulled her into a hug. "Go, go see Mama." He watched as Erin appeared at the door, Jasper in tow and they both waved before Daisy blew him a kiss and Erin closed the door. Then he got back into the Jeep and drove the rest of the journey to the café he'd arranged to meet Hannah in- mutual ground- feeling like his heart was in his mouth.

Though he hadn't mentioned the lawyer meeting to anything to his ex-wife, he hadn't prepared what he was about to say to her. He could only hope that her saying she was gonna move across country was an empty threat.

"Are we going for dinner, Daddy?" Zoey spoke from the back of his car. She'd been relatively quiet for the rest of the car ride, and he wasn't sure whether it was because she was apprehensive about seeing her Mom.

"Just a drink I think honey," Jay said as he parked up. "But I bet your Mommy is really excited to see you."

He killed the engine and headed straight for the side where Zoey's booster was, unclipping the belt and lifting her into his arms. Jay was just in the mood to hold her tight and his youngest daughter didn't seem to mind, wrapping an arm around his neck and pointing towards the building.

"Just a drink, right Daddy?" Zoey said quietly as they approached the entrance.

"Mhm," he reassured, his eyes narrowing as he spotted Hannah already waiting for them. "Look, there's Mommy," he pointed, lowering Zoey to the floor.

Despite the uncertainty that had been in her voice earlier, Zoey ran over to her mother and hugged her legs. Jay nodded: no matter what had happened between her parents, Hannah was still her mom.

"Hey," she spoke first as Jay approached her. "Thank you for texting-"

"We should sit," he said abruptly, motioning to an empty table. "I think there's some things we need to talk about."

"Right," Hannah agreed, directing them to an empty seating area. "Listen Jay, about what I said the last time we saw each other-"

"What, about taking a certain somebody to the opposite side of the country?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I didn't mean it," Hannah spoke quietly and more truthfully than he'd initially expected. "I would never take her away from you…but I am still going."

Jay creased his brow. "What do you mean?"

Hannah gulped and pulled her daughter onto her knee. "It's a good opportunity for me, Jay. It would be three month spiels," she continued, playing with a strand of Zoey's hair. "…but I don't want to take her away from you so she stays here…with you and Erin," Hannah said the last bit through gritted teeth.

"Okay," he tried to process the information, not knowing what was going through his ex-wife's head to still want to move out of state without her daughter. "…how long is this for?"

"I'm gonna go for three m-o-n-t-h-s initially," Hannah said, spelling it out so her daughter didn't catch onto what she was talking about just yet. She didn't like the thought of having to break the news to her eventually. "If I do, we can cross that bridge when it comes-"

"Can I have a juice-box?" Zoey piped up, bouncing on her mother's lap.

Jay's eyes widened as he realized he'd forgotten the drink she'd been promised when they got there. "Sure," he disappeared for a minute towards the counter and returned with what Zoey had asked for. "When would you be l-e-a-v-i-n-g?" he followed Hannah's tactic of spelling out- something Zoey hadn't quite got grasp of yet- so she wouldn't fully understand their topic of conversation.

"I don't know," she replied, shrugging. "I figure you'll be one of the first to know when I do," she said. Hannah took it as the end of the conversation- she'd told him what she needed to- and focused her attention on her daughter. "How was school today, Zo?"

"It was okay," Zoey shrugged, distracted with her juice-box. "I painted and we made cookies," she listed off the elements of her day in order, seemingly from her favorite to least. "I'm hungry!"

Jay almost sighed in relief when she spoke. He saw the slight shock in Hannah's gaze that they were leaving after only 40 minutes but still, didn't want to stay longer than he wanted to. He stood up slowly, lifting his arms towards where Zoey sat on her mom's knee. "We'll go get dinner then," he said, scooping her beneath his strong arms. Jay shifted a little, motioning towards his daughter. "Say goodbye to your Mom, Zo," he stood still as Zoey stretched to plant a kiss against her mother's face.

He was only relieved that it had been slightly less awkward than he'd thought it was gonna be. Surprisingly, he didn't even have to mention the fact that he'd been to see a lawyer. By the time they returned to Erin's house, he was in a great mood and followed his youngest daughter in through Erin's front door.

Zoey shouted right away for her sister, leaving Jay to find Erin. "Where are you?"

Hearing his voice, Erin skipped to meet him. "How did it go?" she sound enthusiastic to know.

Jay pressed a finger to his lips, silencing her. He kicked off his work boots quickly and pushed against her torso, forcing her back against the wall. "First things first," he laughed at her shocked reaction, her mouth forming a small o as she collided with the wall. "Hi," Jay closed the gap between them, close enough to hear her breathing.

"What has gotten into _you_?" Erin spoke quietly, wriggling a little so her arms came free and she reached for his face.

His first response was to kiss her, his mouth finding hers and his thumb tracing the line of her jaw.

"What happened?" she interrupted his move, intrigued. "Tell me!"

"We have nothing to worry about," Jay said, laughing a bit. "Hannah wants to take the job but Zoey is gonna stay with us."

Erin's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

"She didn't say anything more just yet. But she's not gonna take her away," Jay laughed overexcitedly and picked her up, swinging her into a circle eagerly.

Erin giggled as her feet collided with the floor again. "Are you done? I have something to show you."

Now it was his turn to be intrigued. He frowned as Erin took his hand and led him up her staircase, the one he'd recently fitted the carpet for. He frowned even more when she came to a sudden halt outside a certain room.

The room that he hadn't set another foot in since what he'd discovered in there had told him Daisy was his daughter. He'd put time and effort into decorating the rest of Erin's house and this room had surpassed his thoughts.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Erin had a look on her face that he'd never seen before. He couldn't read it.

"I want you and Zoey here all the time," she said simply, turning the doorknob.

Jay took in the sight in front of him and it took his eyes a minute to register what they were seeing. It was a complete replica of his eldest daughter's bedroom, the one that he'd decorated for her. But that room was at the opposite end of the hallway.

It adorned the same color paint, the same style of stickers and the exact same bedframe. The sole difference that Jay could see was that where in Daisy's room there was a painted 'D' above the bed, this one held a 'Z'.

"I…" he swallowed. "Are you saying you want us to move in?"

Erin let out a shy laugh. "That's exactly what I'm saying," she wrapped both of her arms around one of his and gazed at Jay as he took in the surroundings. "When was the last time you guys actually spent a night away from us? You've put so much hard work into this place Jay, and I want you to share it with me."

He struggled to think of an adequate response: was it possible to fall more in love with her by what she was saying?

"I know it might be pretty quick," Erin said, tightening her hold on his bicep. "But the girls love each other. And I love you. Say you'll do it," she laughed. "Before I regret asking you."

Jay kissed the top of her head. "I can't believe you did this without me knowing," he laughed, looking around the room. It was a pretty exact replica for the other room his two daughters were in right now, aside from the fact the window was in a different place.

"I'll double check with my daughter," he joked, making her sweat a little. "But of course we'll move in here. I couldn't think of anything I want more," he admitted, shuffling his feet on the newly laid carpet. "Let's go tell the girls."


End file.
